I've been following all the offshore threads, biding my time before posting. This has been an issue with me for a number of years, that's no secret. But from the very beginning, whenever I've addressed my concerns about offshore outsourcing, I've added this caveat: if after a reasonable period of time
it becomes apparent that there aren't enough qualified people in the U.S. willing and/or able to fill the need, and if reasonable efforts to recruit and train U.S. MTs are unsuccessful, then I will shut my mouth and go about my business.
I can still hold my opinions as to the dangers of sending American medical records overseas, for all the reasons that we've discussed ad nauseum, but
in the end, I understand that the labor market always has the last word. It really doesn't matter that I think American medical records should stay within our borders if there aren't enough workers here both WILLING and ABLE to work for what the marketplace is paying.
So to me, the burning question on my mind as to whether I should continue crusading on this issue comes down to whether or not there are enough bodies within our borders to get the job done. Back in the days when Carol and I were thinking expand, expand, expand, I received scores of resumes from MTs all over the counry, interviewed dozens and actually tried out quite a few. And as much as I hate to admit it, the quality of the work from the vast majority of the applicants simply did not meet our standards, even from people who had been doing MT for a long time. Maybe the problem is with our standards, but I don't think so. I've mentored quite a few new MTs over the years, several of whom are doing very well in the business to this day, but when the average MTSO needs someone to work for them, they're looking for someone who can DO THE JOB RIGHT the first time, not someone who needs his
or her hand held for months and months. We can say that the problem lies with the lack of good training programs, but what if the REAL problem is
that there aren't enough people who are willing to pay the price in money, time and effort that it takes to become a TRULY skilled MT?
These are not new thoughts, by any means; there have always been those among us who have tried to temper the anti-offshore sentiment with a dose of reality. Well, I'm just wondering how long we're supposed to "fight the
good fight" before we have to admit that reality just isn't on our side?
Don't stone me, please; I'm just thinking out loud and getting older.
Jay
Sysop: | Keyop |
---|---|
Location: | Huddersfield, West Yorkshire, UK |
Users: | 285 |
Nodes: | 16 (2 / 14) |
Uptime: | 74:25:26 |
Calls: | 6,489 |
Calls today: | 2 |
Files: | 12,096 |
Messages: | 5,275,935 |