Virtually There Transcriptionists--the name

Well, I would like to explain a little about the name and what it means to me.  I do not like the notion that the transcriptionist is just an empty, nameless entity; someone that types the note and then sends it back.  I think this is what makes it easy for businesses to pay pennies per line and makes some small businesses not pay their staff for their hard work.  It is almost like transcriptionists are second class employees, a hidden machine that returns a report and then is heard of no more.  I think that this leads to loneliness and a devaluing of the MT.  I want the MTs to see that they are a valuable "commodity" to the medical industry.  We do an important job and it is devalued and hidden away. 

Thank goodness for some of the companies that hire us NEWBIES (A term that I hate) and give us a chance.  We feel honored that we have been hired and are grateful for the chance to prove of worth.  A point I would like to make is that why should we be grateful to make 2 cents a line??  We paid good money for a valuable course and we have a specialized skill set.  We deserve more and we need to develop a voice to express this.  But I do understand the need to get experience and move onto something better.  I am not criticizing those that work for a lower rate, I am saying shame on the businesses that pay it and use the excuse that they are giving a newbie a chance.

Soooo.. the logic behind the name is to show employers that we are there.  We are there to be a member of the team and to contribute with a qualified skill set.  As my friend Sharon in her blog states we do more than type. Please check out Sharon's blog   http://clubhousemt.blogspot.com/  In it she says that "As an MT we are required to type what we hear (from a dictated file), but also we must correct grammar, check medicine dosages, verify the patient information, and reform sentences so that they are full sentences and not run-ons or fragments".  So this is a little bit more than just listening and typing, but we are hidden away and we never really hear how we are doing.  Not really; and not really from the one we want to hear from,  the doctor.  I know as an MT, and typing from a large hospital pool, I love hearing my doctor say "Thanks for typing this."  I am amazed that he/she realizes that I am a person on the other end of the headset and I smile and feel good about myself.  Hmmm, shouldn't my job make me feel like that on a day-to-day basis.  Would more interaction with the doctor, medical assistants, nurses et cetera make me feel this way?  I think that it would and in the long run it would benefit the doctor and the patient.

So,  I want my doctors to know that I AM THERE.... VIRTUALLY...BUT THERE... I want to make MTs part of a team. I want to instill in them that they are part of the medical chain and just as important as other members of the staff. 

So there you go, the reason behind the name and the notions that make my brain work.  I hope that I can organize my thoughts so that I am able to start my own little business and that I can pass along some of the knowledge to others that may be interested in doing the same. I would like to see a bunch of little MT companies with 3 or 4 MTs working for 4 or 5 doctors.  A team of MTs that can get a sense of satisfaction from working in a field that they have trained for and keep educating themselves for day after day after day. 

Sigh... but tomorrow I am back to work for my wonderful large company... I love ACCENTUS  and I would recommend it to every MT in Canada (I am sorry my American friends, they only hire Canadians) Let me know if you require information on Accentus and I will refer you for employment if I think that Accentus is a good fit for you.  It is a great company and the pay is not bad at all...It is not the pay that I have my issue with, it is more the feeling of isolation and the feeling of being a number.  I will continue to dream of my own business and a day when I can work for my own doctor or two.... I just have to figure out all the ins and outs of getting the doctors, getting their files to and from, finding out about all the software and programs and file sharing protocols etc.  Sigh...