how to get a home position

The truth about MT in Bel Air, Maryland said: I'm an MT. I've been one for several years. Here are a few facts. MT is one of the lowest paid professions (yes, it is a profession, not simply a job) out there. Literally, the average pay is only a few dollars above minimum wage. If you work for a company, realize that they are all about making money. You will have a line count you have to maintain. There is an excellent chance you will be required to work at least some of your shift on weekends. You will have to work at least several major holidays a year. If you work part time, you probably will get no benefits. Even if you work full time, if your line count drops for any reason (including low workload available) you will lose your benefits for that period of time. It is not unusual for major companies to pay somewhere between $0.08 to $0.09 a line. In fact, MT is one of the few professions where the average pay per line has decreased over the past 10 years! It used to be $0.12 or $0.13 per line. As far as voice editing goes, you will be compensated even less, somewhere in the range of $0.04 per line. MT is a production pay career. You are not paid hourly. Any time you are not typing, you are not making money. That includes researching correct terminology, deciphering foreign accents or (even worse) extremely poor grammar from American doctors, or even taking a bathroom break. Yes, there are people who make money at this, but there are a lot who only make 20,000 to 25,000 a year full time, and I guarantee you that they probably do quite a bit of overtime to reach that. For a profession that routinely requires 98% accuracy and above and an in-depth knowledge of medical science, that pay scale is a slap in the face. It is also pretty much a dead-end job with no advancement opportunities. If the children are small and you really need to stay at home and work, do it for a short time, but also explore other options for when they go to school.

You are absolutely right. I graduated from a 1-year medical transcription course back in 1995. I did work for a couple of hospitals as a transcription manager over the years and earned a decent wage (55,000), but those jobs have really fallen off. I'm completely disgusted with the at-home situations. As I've been a transcriptionist for 16 years, I KNOW the terminology and can decipher the accents, but I cannot make a living working at home. You can work like a crazy person for 8 hours without a break and still only make $100 a day. Then the company will take out $800 a month for insurance. I paid a fortune to learn to be an excellent medical transcriptionist, but it sure appears to have no value. I see no options for myself but to go back to school and use the knowledge I've gained over the years to test out of classes to become a RN. If I had a chance to speak to someone contemplating a career as a MT, I sure would try to persuade them otherwise. It IS a dead-end job with little, if any, chance for growth. It may seem like a great way to work at home, but is only a little better than working for minimum wage - and that's if you are a fast typist with little need to research. I laugh when I hear women who think that they will be able to stay home with the kids and do this. In order to make even $10 an hour, you will need to transcribe as fast as you can without interruption. You are also right on about the pay for at-home transcription. I have worked for a few of the bigger companies. They pay, on average 7 cents for a 65-character line for transcription and 4 cents for editing. The editing is a joke. For most doctors voice recognition translates badly and it's so much easier to just scrap the whole report and just straight type it. VR makes me so angry. It's touted as a time saver, but all it really is is a way for the transcription company to pay the transcriptionist less for the same report. Most companies have a minimum line count of about 1200 lines per day.

I COMPLETELY understand everyone's frustration but I can tell you as a business owner the doctors are NOT PAYING per line any longer. They all know how cheap it is to outsource and they all come to the table with a character count they are willing to pay. I have 5 accounts and not a one of them pay per line anymore, I am paid 65 character count and the pay isn't GRAND. It sickens me as well as I sit for 12 plus hours a day typing just like many of you. It's survival anymore, it's not about getting ahead in life. Do I agree with the way things are? ABSOLUTELY NOT but I have accepted the terms and continue to do what I love to do at home. That is the biggest perk of it all....no gas, no clothing expense, no makeup or hair expense.
We are all overworked and underpaid for what we do, but we must be thankful to have the opportunity to work especially when there are so many umployed that would kill for a shot at making $50-$100.00 a day. :)

It sounds like I have it good compared to everyone (at least until they lay me off in 5 years for that new system). I get paid by the hour and we can get raises quarterly depending on our production. I love the hospital I work for....get to stay at home plus I get paid by the hour....too bad it will be gone in a couple years!

bethartz in Honey Brook, Pennsylvania said: Does anyone know of programs that are coming out for physicians to dictate and create their own reports and make transcription go away?? I currently edit mostly and was just informed that the hospital I work for is looking into a program like this. They told us that we will not have a job within 5 years. I don't want to wait around that long to find out if this will actually work out and if this program is going nationwide I think I should go back to school instead of trying to find another transcription job elsewhere. I was devistated when I heard this because I am a new mother and absolutely LOVE working from home and for a great hospital with great pay. I really hope this is not the end of my career...any thoughts?!

This rumor has been going around since I graduated from MT school - 16 years ago. That said, the pay for transcription is now very very low for a skilled profession. After all this time invested, I still only make about $25,000 a year (though I did have a couple of good years supervising at $55,000). I'm getting out because I'm now divorced and need to be able to support myself. I'm going to go back to school to become a RN. It's very hard to find a job to pay by the hour or salary instead of by the line.

I am also an MT and feel that those bashing the profession are doing that just to discourage others from learning it and taking their jobs away because the "newbies" are faster and more accurate. I have been an MT for over 10 years. Before that, I was an insurance analyst and an administrative assistant with an insurance company. Both of those previous careers paid only $22,000 max per year. So, The truth about MT in Bel Air Maryland, $20,000-25,000 annual is actually a decent wage compared to other careers a clerical worker can get into. Anyone looking to do a comparatively easy job such as MT at home should not expect to make over $30,000 per year.....it doesn't matter if they were doing this 15 years ago (when you CLAIM average pay was 12-13 cents per line) or now. 12 years ago when I started, pay was NEVER as high as 12-13 cents per line base. The 12-13 cents per line came in only after you met certain production requirements AND were working OT hours. Oh, by the way, its still easy to reach the $150 per day mark if you use a program like shorthand or use your autocorrect feature in Word. That's what gets you your character count and the hospitals/doctors know it......thus the low rate per line/character.....they know you're not actually typing that many characters.

The truth about MT in Bel Air, Maryland said: I'm an MT. I've been one for several years. Here are a few facts. MT is one of the lowest paid professions (yes, it is a profession, not simply a job) out there. Literally, the average pay is only a few dollars above minimum wage. If you work for a company, realize that they are all about making money. You will have a line count you have to maintain. There is an excellent chance you will be required to work at least some of your shift on weekends. You will have to work at least several major holidays a year. If you work part time, you probably will get no benefits. Even if you work full time, if your line count drops for any reason (including low workload available) you will lose your benefits for that period of time. It is not unusual for major companies to pay somewhere between $0.08 to $0.09 a line. In fact, MT is one of the few professions where the average pay per line has decreased over the past 10 years! It used to be $0.12 or $0.13 per line. As far as voice editing goes, you will be compensated even less, somewhere in the range of $0.04 per line. MT is a production pay career. You are not paid hourly. Any time you are not typing, you are not making money. That includes researching correct terminology, deciphering foreign accents or (even worse) extremely poor grammar from American doctors, or even taking a bathroom break. Yes, there are people who make money at this, but there are a lot who only make 20,000 to 25,000 a year full time, and I guarantee you that they probably do quite a bit of overtime to reach that. For a profession that routinely requires 98% accuracy and above and an in-depth knowledge of medical science, that pay scale is a slap in the face. It is also pretty much a dead-end job with no advancement opportunities. If the children are small and you really need to stay at home and work, do it for a short time, but also explore other options for when they go to school.

someone who knows in Brownstown, Indiana said: God love ya Shyla Beach of Oviedo, Florida! Because you are a new mom looking to work from home to be with your kids, you are a prime target for the "transcription at home" bull. Think long and hard before you do this, because you WILL be taken for a ride. Make sure you realize that you are NOT going to make big money unless you want to work 12 hours days 7 days a week. AND, your pay will go up and down depending on how the company decides to connect you that day and what they give you to work on. I recommend getting into some other respectable field. Many mothers work away from home, get paid more money (even though they pay childcare) and are much better off financially and emotionally.

About 7 cents a line is what you would make and you have to work your fingers to the bone to make any money. If you don't type a full 65 character line you don't get paid for that line. Why they school anyone for this profession anymore is beyond me. Its all about money but they don't tell you that you don't really make any. I don't mean to be negative but it is the truth.

Rojo in Grand Rapids, Michigan said: I am also an MT and feel that those bashing the profession are doing that just to discourage others from learning it and taking their jobs away because the "newbies" are faster and more accurate. I have been an MT for over 10 years. Before that, I was an insurance analyst and an administrative assistant with an insurance company. Both of those previous careers paid only $22,000 max per year. So, The truth about MT in Bel Air Maryland, $20,000-25,000 annual is actually a decent wage compared to other careers a clerical worker can get into. Anyone looking to do a comparatively easy job such as MT at home should not expect to make over $30,000 per year.....it doesn't matter if they were doing this 15 years ago (when you CLAIM average pay was 12-13 cents per line) or now. 12 years ago when I started, pay was NEVER as high as 12-13 cents per line base. The 12-13 cents per line came in only after you met certain production requirements AND were working OT hours. Oh, by the way, its still easy to reach the $150 per day mark if you use a program like shorthand or use your autocorrect feature in Word. That's what gets you your character count and the hospitals/doctors know it......thus the low rate per line/character.....they know you're not actually typing that many characters.

Please. Just give me a break! Discouraging them? We are trying to save them from major disappointment. Please!!

Hannah in Clarks Summit, Pennsylvania said: This is to the woman who makes $800 a week working at home. Where I live...which is a really rural area...$800 a week would go extremely far for me and my new family. I started an MT course when I was 4 months pregnant thinking that I would have my career by the time my son was born. I thought that it would be a great start...me being a stay at home mom and working at the same time. And now my son is five months old and I still haven't gotten a reply from any of the companies that I sent my resume to. Can you please tell me what company you work for because I would LOVE to work for $800 a week. I think I'd get on the ground and thank God. I'm starting to think that I just wasted a load of money on a career that's putting me in a dead end. I really hope that's not the case. I hate feeling like a failure.

You did waste your money and I am sorry no one warned you.

I am not seeing my comments anywhere but long story short save your money and go to school for something else. It just isn't worth it!

Kathy in Springfield, Illinois said: You need to learn English!!! There are so many grammer mistakes in your sentence, nobody would hire you

grammar should not be spelled "grammer". pot calling kettle, come in, kettle.

MnD in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa said: My best friend is hiring. She has no problems taking "newbies".......I currently work for her and she needs to hire a couple of more transcriptionists. Email her at 4theluvoffeet@gmail.com

Hi. Could you tell me the average rate of pay per line she uses? I am very interested. The company I now get my work from has really lost clients, so much so that I am looking for another source to replace this company. Either that or I have to stop doing transcriptoin (which I really like to do and have done for 10 years).

Hello :)

Hey gals. I have been getting a TON of inquiries and resumes. I am looking for someone living in CENTRAL time zone. If this fits you email me at 4theluvoffeet@gmail.com I am currently looking to bring on 2 more new graduates!

I would love to hire you all that are in dire straights and needing a job, but I need us to be on the same time zone due to different time zones that my accounts are in! My apologizes to all of you that I have to turn down. :(

Hi,
I live in the central time zone and would like to be considered for future positions with your company. This has been a long journey for me since my graduation 2 years ago. I pray an opportunity comes my way soon. Here is my e-mail address: hudgiestranscription@yahoo.com.

MnD in Sergeant Bluff, Iowa said: Hello :)

Hey gals. I have been getting a TON of inquiries and resumes. I am looking for someone living in CENTRAL time zone. If this fits you email me at 4theluvoffeet@gmail.com I am currently looking to bring on 2 more new graduates!

I would love to hire you all that are in dire straights and needing a job, but I need us to be on the same time zone due to different time zones that my accounts are in! My apologizes to all of you that I have to turn down. :(

TH81 in Millerton, Pennsylvania said: Hi Julie! This is a second career for me as well. I am a nurse, had a baby and can't fathom going back to work and leaving my son. I took an online course, work at your own pace at <tess's training company name advertisement>, the program took me less than 5 months. It cost less than $900 and they have a payment plan too. I applied everywhere it seemed, it is difficult to get in to some places. I just went in person, to a local hospital and they were in dire need and gave me a job. I will be getting .14-.16 per line...that is really good money (they usually pay per 65 character line)! So best case scenario, experienced and fast typists could earn 50-80 an hour..even more, especially when you are a contractor. I start Wednesday. From what I have learned so far, to start, you may type 100-150 lines/hour, but with different shortcuts/macros some people can type up to 500 lines an hour (that is if you are a fast typist and have fairly easy docs to transcribe for). There is money to be made out there for sure. Usually you have to hand in the reports within 24 hours, but since you have little ones like me, you can type while they sleep or when they play quietly, you can pick up where you left off if a little person needs you. I really am excited to start this. Best of luck to you and keep me posted!
Tess

Tess's story has to be bogus- maybe advertising for a company- no one gets 0.14¢ to 0.16¢ a line anymore it is more like 0.035¢ per line- yes three and one half cents per line.

And local hospitals do not hire off the street when they have people beating down their doors with resumes via email or transcription services trying to get in.

Tess is fake.

someone who knows in Brownstown, Indiana said: WHY THE HELL DO YOU WANT TO BECOME A MEDICAL TRANSCRIPTIONIST, IF YOU ARE A NURSE? You are in for a rude awakening. The general unspoken consensus is that medical transcriptionists are a bunch if idiot typists who don't know anything but how to type and can't even spell. That's the fact even though the the contrary is true. Be careful, because once you get into this unpleasant field with a bunch of hateful women, you will have a difficult time getting out. People will wonder what was wrong with your nursing skills that you are transcribing. Keep your nursing license up because once you finally are aware of all of this, it will be too late.

I completely agree here. Nursing would be a way better job. Medical transcriptionists are lucky to make $5 bucks an hour. I have never been paid so horrible at any job in my life. Really not worth it. It's below minimum wage working for a transcription company. If you work for a clinic you will make $15 dollars an hour if your lucky. Might as well just get a job in a store, same pay and no schooling required. Very disappointed in my decision. I also took an approved AHDI course, didn't help. Still had to pretty much beg for my first job. And didn't make enough money to pay bills and rent even working full days. It's a joke, really. And I would advise everyone to be careful about checking their medical records and dosages for medications and that they are getting the proper diagnosis typed on their personal reports, because really paying people these wages and half of them being sent off to India, is anyone really going to care about what they are typing?

I'm also a nurse who's wanting a career change. And yes, I know MT's make less than nurses. I'm just at a point in my life where I want to use my knowledge and experience for something else. I work part-time for a home health company but am sooooo tired of the paperwork. I'll work all day and then come home and finish paperwork until 8:30 - 10:30 pm. I type well and would like something as a side job. And something I could do from home, although I'm not opposed to working on-site to start off. Any suggestions as far as legitimate online schools to look into?

I have been an MT for 16 years. I am also very frustrated working from home as an "editor". I left a really good job because I was tired of the commute and price of gas, etc. I am here to tell you that if I could go back and work for the doctor's office again, I would do it in an instant! I am killing myself just to make a decent living doing this job from home. I am doing editing and I might as well be typing the entire document. The doctor's talk way too fast for the crap software we use but I am being paid editor rate of 0.4 cents per line. Don't get me wrong, I am sure there are a lot of great at home transcription jobs out there but I certainly haven't found one. Now, I am looking to either go and work outside of home or go back to school for something entirely different. Good luck to all of you considering this as a career.

After having read all the above comments, let me place some of my comments too. It is true that medical transcription is not a career that is worth it because we are being paid low considering the effort we have to put in. Please do not blame Indian companies or Indian MT for no fault of theirs, because it is only the American companies have opted to place offshore jobs to earn more profit. However, I am really sorry for American brothers and sisters if we here in India in anyway have affected you in this field. Yet, we wish you all success.

Hello :)

Hey everyone. I have a need for 2 transcriptionists ASAP for 2 of my doctors. I need those that are in CENTRAL time zone. If this fits you email me at 4theluvoffeet@gmail.com

I look forward to hearing from you.

Angie

(I have NO idea why it says my location is in South Dakota....sorry for the confusion but I am MnD in Iowa.)

Dorothy in Denison, Texas said:

In response to how much a transcriptionist can earn, I've been doing this for 16 years, I work for a hospital, I make $18.25 per hour, am a full-time 40 per week employee with full benefits, and have an incentive pay scale, so I make about $23 per hour. I also work part time for a service where I make about $35 per hour.

I am a single mom and have put 2 kids through college.

You can make money if you work for the right people.

Tess is not lying. I have some standards of my own that I have where if I get a lot of this particular doctor, I can type up to 750 lines per hour. Making your own standards it the key. Most doctors just repeat themselves.

My name is Jennifer and I have recently completed an online MT course and I am looking for a job ( home based). I am having a hard time finding a company that takes new MT's. Can anyone give me any suggestions? I have everything I need to start. I can start right away and I can work anytime and any day. I am a stay at home mom and both of my kids are in school, but because of my husbands job I need to have the flexibility to be at home. I am very eager to start working. My email address is jenniferziegler@verizon.net. Thanks

Kathy in Springfield, Illinois said: You need to learn English!!! There are so many grammer mistakes in your sentence, nobody would hire you

Except that it is spelled "grammar". For someone who is correcting someone else's grammar, you surely lack the ability to spell one of the simplest of words.

this is only for those who are just trying to get some etra cash in their pockets. i have only been working with this site for a day now and already made $23.04. they let you cash out anytime plus there is no minimum pay out. and you get paid with in 48 hours via paypal if you choose. its basically just a survery site plus other things you can do to earn money. well yea best of luck:) spread the word. oh yea and here is my link.

www.prizelive.com/r/lalabhadd

www.prizelive.com/r/lalabhadd

this is only for those who are just trying to get some etra cash in their pockets. i have only been working with this site for a day now and already made $23.04. they let you cash out anytime plus there is no minimum pay out. and you get paid with in 48 hours via paypal if you choose. its basically just a survery site plus other things you can do to earn money. well yea best of luck:) spread the word. oh yea and here is my link.

www.prizelive.com/r/lalabhadd

Dorothy in Denison, Texas said: Next to minimum wage. I've been a transcriptionist for 20 years, CMT for 10 years, and work my butt off at home to earn about $800 a week with a nationally known MT company. DO ANYTHING ELSE. Medical transcription DOES NOT PAY SQUAT!

$800 a week would be awesome!!! I use to travel 40 minutes away and only bring home $600 every 2 weeks. I would not complain about that type of income.

shawne said: I am a nurse and was wondering if that would cut down on the courses required to be a medical transcriptionist. Also how long does it take to complete a legitimate online course and is it realistic to think i could get an at-home position to start. Thanks shawne

Being a nurse helps you with medical terms. However, that's not all you need to know to be a transcriptionist. You need to have speed and correctness.

Dorothy in Denison, Texas said:

I disagree with you....I was an MT for 15 years, retired 3 years ago, I was making 15 cents a line. I made some darn good money just working part time. Actually, I'm thinking of going back into it, I'm getting bored at home.

Dorothy in Denison, Texas said:

I disagree with you....I was an MT for 15 years, retired 3 years ago, I was making 15 cents a line. I made some darn good money just working part time. Actually, I'm thinking of going back into it, I'm getting bored at home.

Dorothy in Denison, Texas said: This rumor has been going around since I graduated from MT school - 16 years ago. That said, the pay for transcription is now very very low for a skilled profession. After all this time invested, I still only make about $25,000 a year (though I did have a couple of good years supervising at $55,000). I'm getting out because I'm now divorced and need to be able to support myself. I'm going to go back to school to become a RN. It's very hard to find a job to pay by the hour or salary instead of by the line.

Don't be surprised if you get the bad news in less than five years. I worked as a transcriptionist for 20 years was told in a matter of months that the transcriptionist position would be null and void at a hospital in New Orleans and that we would be terminated in a COUPLE OF MONTHS, right at Christmas time. That was in 2011. I have been applying with every transcription company that I can for any position whether it is part time or full time. So it is happening all over where the physicians are doing their reports as well as dictation through new programs. They just do not want to pay for proficiency anymore which I believe would leave them open for lawsuits just because of one word or two out of place or omitted from a report that could be detrimental to a patient's health.

Kathy in Springfield, Illinois said: You need to learn English!!! There are so many grammer mistakes in your sentence, nobody would hire you

Uh, excuse me but you misspelled "Grammar!"

CipherD in Charlotte, North Carolina said: Uh, excuse me but you misspelled "Grammar!"

LOL! The post you answered was made over four years ago. It is unlikely that the guilty party will return at this late date. Sadly, she will probably not have the opportunity to experience the full force of your outrage.

lol! I knew that! I just assumed someone else would be surfing the net and see my reply...lol! I was just laughing at the comments people made. I was actually looking for accomplishments to say as a retail sales representative.

Kathy in Springfield, Illinois said: You need to learn English!!! There are so many grammer mistakes in your sentence, nobody would hire you

can you spell grammar?

I'm studying from home since I got too sick to finish college. I was diagnosed with Crohns and have been in a flare for 12 months and I still haven't been able to work a normal job yet after getting fired because of my crohns last year. I've taken 5 years of college in the med field including, terminology, pharmacology, psychology, you name it. I'm close to getting an associate degree if I can ever go back on full financial aid. I'm studying from home and in a few months I will apply for many MT jobs not just one like many people do. I will work from home and make more money than I have serving food or working in data entry. People say the pay sucks but it doesn't! I don't have kids so this is money to just support myself yayyy! I can't wait to get some at home jobs before Christmas! This is going to be great! I've never known why people complain about this career....and I know medical transcriptionists who are happy!!! :)

Sorry for this dear Friend.

We also do this job because of responsibilities upon our shoulder as you all have but we never do it with an intention of taking away your job.

You say there are lots of opportunities for MTs there but here we don't have any job which pay us as good as this field do though compared to your's it's too low but we manage with it. Having worked in this field for seven years, I personally have come to a point where I can't just switch over to any other field. My seven years went on this field thinking it would do good to me but now I realize today that had I not been involved in this profession, I definitely would have done something better which would have given me more exposure and financial stability.

I agree there are doctors, hospitals, clinics, etc here in India but here they don't keep records as they do in US. Our health system has not reached that stage where doctors need to keep daily reports. Out of 100% rarely 1% to 2% does that.

We also don't feel working with rates that are many halves of what the actual rates are but we don't have option here.

After reading your post, I felt bad for those who might have lost job because of me. I can only say sorry to him/her, "I AM SO SORRY."

They "know how cheap it is to outsource?" Wow, are you selling us short in that statement right there. If we all banded together and demanded to be paid for the WORK we do, they wouldn't have a choice. They may come to the table with quotes, but the companies accepting these rationed pay scales don't have to fold!

Kathy in Springfield, Illinois said: You need to learn English!!! There are so many grammer mistakes in your sentence, nobody would hire you

...grammar.