I’ve been a medical transcriptionist since 1980…working from home since 1996. While I’m grateful for the fact that I have a way of earning a (modest) living from my home, over the years, I’ve begun to question the “career” I fell into. I’m a college graduate — but in “liberal arts” — OK so you can cast your stones now. While my husband was in graduate school, I had the opportunity to continue my education, with the plan to earn another bachelor’s in computer science. But I couldn’t qualify for aid, and I didn’t want to seek help from my in-laws or parents, so I went to work in my first allied-health minimum-wage job post-college as a receptionist in a physicians’ clinic. From there, I was able to work in another clinic, this time being taught medical transcription by the in-house transcriptionist. From there to a hospital (in those days, they were desperate and willing to train)…to another hospital, then to home.
In the “early days,” this actually wasn’t a bad job. At one hospital, though they actually required full-time, I was able to finagle part-time hours if I worked one weekend day since they had been unable to fill the position for ages (in fact, I had applied for an entirely different job, and Human Resources had noted my transcription experience and passed my application along to them). I was able to keep my kids out of daycare this way, since my husband watched the kids while I was at work–I was able to gain more experience and earn some extra cash.
My next job would end up being my first “real” at-home job (the previous hospital had allowed me to work from home one summer) but began in their office. This was the first “service” I had worked for and was my first taste of what strange and mysterious things can happen to your income when you’re an MT. Here, I was paid by the line for the first time. I should have known, too, there might be trouble down the road when I went in for my interview/testing, and it essentially was to transcribe one of their clients — an East Indian cardiologist. It turned out that this service was started by an older couple who were sold the idea of starting their own medical transcription service by a Dictaphone salesperson. The owner eventually admitted that the salesperson had stated that MT was something anyone could do if they could type!!! She sold them a Straight Talk system (double ugh) and off they went. Well, I guess they didn’t count on the need for knowledge of medical terminology, medical records, ability to understand ESL physicians (which — in southeastern Washington there were quite a few) and …. I felt like I was the one who earned that first dollar bill they eventually framed and put up on the wall. The owner’s co-owner wife had tried to transcribe this physician and was having difficulty (imagine that!) After the initial test, I worked for them off and on, then eventually on a more regular basis from my home office. I stuck with them for awhile but found bumps in the road with these employers unfamiliar with the business (but maybe there were a lot in those days: 1993). Quoted a decent per-line pay at the beginning, they later cut it with the explanation that: “Well, we overestimated costs, and you’ll be saving money by working from home.” Months later, there was yet another pay cut. Believe it or not, the explanation was: “Our office manager requested a pay increase. Don’t you think Susie deserves it? Plus…look at this pie chart that indicates how much of our expense goes into MT salaries.” (WHAT?!?! How much income would you receive WITHOUT the MTs?!) Well, I eventually did leave this local service. OH…one thing I nearly forgot was that while I was working on the premises, I discovered that my paycheck was DOCKED if I asked a question of one of their in-house transcriptionists. It seems she was complaining about her loss of productivity when answering questions, so this was their solution! I also remember a fellow transcriptionist–an experienced MT who had worked a number of years in the local hospital–complaining that the owner’s wife was actually the editor. Yes–there was a lot of respect for MTs there! Believe it or not, this service remained in business!
