MT India Digest - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MTID
Moderated MT Discussion List, Since 1999
=======================================
Moderated by: Published by:
Amit Chatterjee, SM MT India
amit@... www.mtindia.org

..................................................
May 12, 2003 Digest #103
..................................................

.....IN THIS DIGEST.....

=============NEW=================

-=USMTs are pricing themselves out of the market?=-

~Stella J. Olson, CMT, FAAMT

-=Is it safe to sign a Bond?=-

~Uma Ravi
"all of them require a bond of more than two years"

===========CONTINUING============

-=Work @ Home MT=-

~T.N. Raju, CMT
"Visit us at Focus"

-=MTs beyond borders=-

~R.Viswanathan
"try setting up a toll free dictation service"

~Mythili Ravi
"You can be our first person working from abroad :-)"

-=Future of the MT industry=-

~Tapobrata Das
"I am working in Infovision."

~Venkatraman Chettiar
"which transcription company in Pune is the best"

===========BILLBOARD============

-=You must be an Indian if...=-

*****************************************************
Are you a lead QA from Bangalore with:

* 4+ years of total MT experience (excluding training period)
* 2+ years as a QA/Proofer, in a reputable company
* Present gross salary between 18,000 to 22,000 pm

Excellent opportunities for career enhancement with stable MNCs at
Bangalore

Email Anusha at anusha@...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

Fellow MTIDer...

OK, OK. France is not very fashionable at the moment, but I
couldn't resist making the title of this post the old French
saying, "Plus ça change, plus c'est la même chose" -- "The more
things change, the more they remain the same".

I say this with refence to two ongoing threads:

a) Work @ Home

Way back in 1998, during the boom days, every second person you met
on the street was training to be an MT, and wanted to Work @ Home.
This trend died out somewhere during the 2000/2001 crash, and you
could rest in peace left to your own devices. It appears Sohonet
has brought this back in vogue - for the wrong reasons.

Could someone stand out and spread the word please? In your local
community/town/city/country? That knowledge of
(a) English (b) Typing (c) Medical terminology,
does NOT make anyone eligible to be considered for a Work@Home MT
position. It does NOT even make anyone eligible to be considered
for in-house employment as an MT. Yes, if you have excellent skills
as in (a) above, and rudimentary skills in (b) and (c); a focussed
training curriculum should be able to make an MT out of you. These
are facts. If you reject them and succumb to false
promises - no one can help you recover your losses.

Oh, but then you are an experienced MT. I hope you have the right
reasons for wanting to shift to a Work @ Home MT position. I have
generally found MTs opting to work at home for all the wrong
reasons. And if your reasons are right, there can be benefits like
being able to work in your pyjamas. Believe me, at one point I
almost became an anaesthetist because I wanted to be in a
sterilized theatre in my pyjamas all day!

b) Associations

I actually spend the whole of my weekend rummaging through this
digest, the forum, newletters ..et all, trying to get a fix on how
many times this topic was raised and where it lead to . . . and
I am talking from the point of a professional MT. Businesses will
align themselves with market forces, as business interests dictate.
They are not meant to and cannot contribute to the profession. MTs
need to give something back to the profession to
nurture future growth. I am not saying that the spirit is not
willing - what I am saying is that the flesh is weak!

Let me tell you a fact - there are many organizations like MTIA
which started out just as internet communities, before going
offline. It is really difficult to find a net community where MTs
help each other, like on a word board. Now don't tell me one
doesn't exist... If it doesn't, it has to be built.

Now, let me tell you what I found lacking in our repeated
endeavors - action. In all the analysis that preceded it, the need
for action was overlooked. Well, now we can continue to dream, or
we can decide and act...

Many people believe an organization must be built from the top
down, to maintain cohesiveness and purpose. I disagree with that
mode a wee bit - I believe that those responsible for building an
organization from the top, must have reached there a rung at a
time. What we need now are those who will organize the first rung
in their cities. Will those of you who have hung in there, step out
of hibernation to form local chapters?

What I have been looking for years is to receive a single mail
which reads "we are a group of MTs from ___ and would like your
help in setting up an organization to support us professionally."
But what I get aplenty is: "we are a group of MTs from ____ and
want you to help us to get jobs, which we can do in our spare
time." And with all MTSOs recruiting, and no dearth of jobs, all I
can say is "Go, figure..!"

And do have a great MT Week.

Enjoy!

Amit
amit@...
http://www.mtindia.org/

++++ new post - different topic ++++

From: Stella Olson
Subject: Re: MTIndia Newsletter - "Gosh, we didn't think you'd
actually read it."

Hi MTIDers!

It is noted in this recent Newsletter that Shrikant Inamdar the
executive director of Spryance believes that the U.S. MTs are
pricing themselves out of the market place. It is most unfortunate
that Mr. Inamdar does not have the knowledge base to understand
that the real professional MT in the U.S. spends an enormous amount
of dollars to continue their education in order to meet the demand
of quality transcription. New procedures in the medical field are
abounding and the professional MT must continue to study just as
physicians must.

Education does not come "CHEAP" nor does the time of an
experienced, educated MT.

Stella J. Olson, CMT, FAAMT
Consultant
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=USMTs_pricing

[MODERATOR COMMENT]

Hi Stella and All!

I wish USMTs would - price themselves out of the market place!:-)
If Shrikant was correct, life would have been a lot easier for us..

But wishful thinking apart, I see a disturbing trend amongst new
wannabe ICs in the US, cutting rates to a phenomenally low margin
in an attempt to compete with perceived "offshore" rates. This
trend will definitely put some MTs out of the market. And this does
not auger well for professionals - especially the fresh blood -
whether in the US or the Subcontinent.

Regards,
Amit
amit@...
http://www.mtindia.org/
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=USMTs_pricing
++++ new post - different topic ++++

From: Uma Ravi
Subject: Your kind advice required.

Hello MTIDers,

I am a resident of Coimbatore, Tamilnadu. I am a subscriber of
your mtjobs mail. Sir, I am a housewife, and very much interested
to become an MT. I have contacted our local MT companies and also
passed out initial english tests and interview reqd to become an
MT trainee, Sir, all of them require a bond of more than two years
to work with them. Is it safe to sign such bonds?, moreover, I am
a married woman and in future I may face situations like
conceiving etc, in that case will they relieve me of my bond. When
I asked them they are not giving any assurance for this, Kindly,
advice me if there is any other alternative to work as an MT
without a bond or is it advisable to join the companies with bond.
As I am new to this field, I dont have a good guidance in this
matter, kindly give me your advice in this regard.

Expecting your valuable reply,

Uma Ravi.
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=Safe

===========CONTINUING============
From: T.N. Raju
Subject: Home MT

Dear Manoj,

www.focusmt.com could be a solution. Please go thru the same and
let me know if you need any clarifications.

Regards,

T.N. Raju, CMT
Focus Infosys
Bangalore

++++ new post - different topic ++++

From: R.Viswanathan
Subject: MTs-beyond-borders

Hello,

You could try setting up a toll free dictation service. Doctors
find this very user friendly and convenient to use. We started off
our direct US operations with this service, and we have grown
multifold since the last 3 years.

Good luck

R. Viswanathan
Rapid Care IT Services Group
Chennai, India
Nashua, NH, US
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=MTs-beyond-borders

++++ new post - same topic ++++

From: Mythili Ravi
Subject: Home MT

Hi Shan,

We do have MTs and Editors out of Mumbai working with us. You can
be our first person working from abroad :-) Please contact
mumbaihmt@... for any further details.

Regards,

Mythili
Spryance
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=MTs-beyond-borders
++++ new post - different topic ++++

From: Tapobrata Das
Subject: MT industry's future in Calcutta

Dear. Dr. Chatterjee,

I am in the field of medical transcription as an MT
for the last 2 years in Kolkata. In this period of
time a number of new companies started business here
and many of them are doing production though in a
small scale. In Kolkata, the two big companies are
Infovision and Optimal. I am working in Infovision.
I have heard that a few big players are coming in the
market of Kolkata but no definite news or how the
scope will be there is not known to me. Do you have
any idea about this? Can you please let me know the
future of the industry in Kolkata.

Yours Truly,

Tapobrata Das
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=Future_of_MT

[MODERATOR COMMENT]

Hi Tapobrata,

If you are already with a stable and growing MT company, I don't
see why you should be bothered about your future.

As far as "big players" are concerned, I haven't an inkling.

Regards,

Amit
amit@...
http://www.mtindia.org/
++++ new post - same topic ++++

From: Venkatraman Chettiar
Subject: Job Security

Hi MTIDers!

What are the chances of growth for transcription companies in Pune
and which transcription company in Pune is the best in assuring a
medical transcriptionist a 100% job security?

Venkatraman
Comment? mailto:MTID@yahoogroups.com?Subject=Future_of_MT

[MODERATOR COMMENT]

Hi Venkat,

I wouldn't go into good, better, best..

All three companies listed in our yellow pages are secure
companies. I am assuming that you plan to slog and earn your job
security.:)

Regards,

Amit
amit@...
http://www.mtindia.org/
===========BILLBOARD============
Good reading! Enjoy!!

Subject: You must be an Indian if...

1. Everything you eat is smothered in garlic, onion and tomatoes.

2. You try and reuse gift wrappers, gift boxes, and of course
aluminum foil.

3. You try to eject food particles from between your teeth by
pressing your tongue against them and making a peculiar noise like,
tshick, tshick, tschick, tschick.

4. You are standing next to the two largest size suitcases at the
Airport.

5. You arrive two hours late to a party - and think its normal.

6.7. You recycle Wedding Gifts.

8. You name your children in rhythms (example Sita & Gita, Ram &
Shyam.)

9. All your children have pet names, which sound nowhere close to
their real names(example, Honey & Money).

10. You take Indian snacks anywhere it says "No Food Allowed"

to be continued...
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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