Confessions

True Confessions of a Home MT

Whenever I need a little levity in my day, I just think of the commercial for a national home-study MT program that is played here in Kansas City. Maybe you’ve seen it, too. A nicely-coifed woman is sitting at her computer at home, her 4-year-old daughter is coloring on the desk right next to her, and she tells viewers how she loves choosing when she will work or not work.

I suppose the woman in the commercial gets up an hour or two before the rest of the household to shower, dress, put on her makeup, and style her hair. I suppose she can work as a transcriptionist with her 4-year-old standing next to her … for two seconds, maybe. I suppose you can pick your own hours, as long as your pick 8 or more hours out of your day to earn a living.

There is another home-study company that tells potential students (lined up out the door at their seminars, I hear) that you will be making 35 cents a line … yes, 35 CENTS A LINE! Another program tells students that you can do this with an inexpensive tape player and go to the library when you need to look something up in a medical dictionary. The latter really cracks me up.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I’ve never regretted the decision I made over 10 years ago to work at home as a transcriptionist. I love it! But, it’s not as easy (or as profitable) as some people would have you believe.

For those of you thinking about or already working at home, I have a few pointers:

The amount of money you earn is proportional to the amount of work you do. Doctors’ dictation varies from day to day. They are likely to play golf on Thursday afternoons, so your workload will be lighter on Friday. Be prepared for the peaks and valleys.

	You will never make 35 cents a line. The average pay per line here in Kansas City is 10-15 cents a line if you have your own accounts and about half that if you are contracting work from a service.
	Meet deadlines. Office managers do not care if your kid has the chicken pox, your basement flooded, or that there was a half-price sale at Dillard’s.
	*Keep documents on file for at least one year. You will score major brownie points* when you produce that copy of the op report the insurance company is requesting.**
	Never skimp on computer equipment, software, or reference books. Each one will quickly pay for itself.
	Use your answering machine. No one will be offended. If it’s important, they’ll leave a message.
	Have patience. With any business, it takes time to establish your reputation. If you’re trying to get your own accounts, don’t get discouraged. Just because an office doesn’t need transcription help one week, doesn't mean they won't next week.Send regular mailings to clients (about every three months) to keep your name in front of them and follow up with a simple courtesy call to the office manager. "Did you receive my information? Do you have any questions?" Be prepared to tell them how much you charge. That is the #1 question.
	Keep in touch with your clients. If you use a courier service or work remotely via computer and phone-in dictation, be sure to visit the office on occasion. Make yourself known as a person, rather than "the transcription service."
	*Children do not care if you have* to work and they will not color for 8 hours at a stretch, unless, perhaps, you sprinkle a heavy dose of Valium on their Fruit Loops.**
	Never tell your kid’s first grade teacher that you work at home. She will call you at the last minute to be a field trip driver … every field trip.
	Don’t tell your kids you work at home. They’ll tell their teachers.
	Don’t let family members know that you can catch up work in the middle of the night. You’ll spend your days taking their dogs to the vet, picking up bras on sale at Penney’s, and standing in line at the post office.
	Don’t clean the house if you finish work early. Someone might expect you to do it again.
	Always keep two new pairs of panty hose in your house, one for funerals and one for weddings.
	Let the UPS man see you in sweats with no makeup. He won’t expect any more of you.
	Don’t cook. Your family might like it and ask for you to do it again.
	Never burn your bridges. If an office dumps you for a lower-priced service, bow out gracefully. More than likely, they’ll be back when that lower-priced service fails their expectations.
	Be a perfectionist. Your work is your signature. If you leave a blank, flag it and tell the dictator what you believe it should say. Never assume anything.
	Plan time for yourself away from the computer … and out of your office. It’s essential to your mental and physical health. It’s just as easy to get burned out working at home as it is in an office. Remember, you need a life outside of work!

Pat Bowen, CMT