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I like the Expander that comes with my company's software but I can't find a commercial expander like it.

I am trying ShortHand but the main thing I don't like about it is that it does not recognize when characters entered are part of a preexisting word. So if I'm editing and just entering a letter here and there, Shorthand records those characters, and if I hit the spacebar or punctuation mark and those characters happen to be one of my abbreviations, Shorthand will expand those characters even if I did not want an expansion there. I have to stop the expansion manually. For example, if I'm editing and change the word "proceed" to "proceeding" by adding an "ing," which is also my abbreviation for "inguinal," Shorthand thinks I want "inguinal" there and I end up with "proceedinguinal" unless I notice the expansion ahead of time and stop it manually.

My company's expander does not do this. When I add a character to a word, it recognizes the characters that are already there. So when I add "ing" to "proceed," it recognizes that I intend the "ing" to be part of the already-existing word "proceed" and does not expand the "ing" to "inguinal."

With my company's expander I can also go back and add a character or two to letters that are already there, hit the spacebar, and get the expansion, whereas with Shorthand, if I missed a letter in an abbreviation and go back to correct it, I have to enter the whole abbreviation again from scratch. For example, if I meant to type "tahbso" but I missed the "o" and didn't notice it until proofreading later, I could go back and add the "o" on the end of the already-existing "tahbs," hit the spacebar, and the abbreviation would expand. With Shorthand, I find I have to retype "tahbso" to get it to expand.

I'm not that experienced with Shorthand so maybe there are different settings in it that could avoid the unwanted expansions, but then again maybe not.

Anyway, I'm just wondering if there's an expander that will recognize when characters are already part of a word and when they are not and behave accordingly. Thanks.

I work at home full-time as an Editor making $15 an hour.  I've been offered a position as a pathology Transcriptionist working in the office for a local pathology group.  They've offered me $16 per hour with a review in 90 days and a raise to $17 at that time.  It's about a 30 minute commute one way to the office.

Which would you choose?

I own a small home based medical transcription business and have been asked by prospective new clients about electronic signature capabilities.  Can anyone recommend a company or any advice regarding my document management needs.  I currently have physician offices set up digitally without any electronic signature capability at all.

Thanks

I have been a MT for 19 years. I have started having a major problem with tinnitus lately.  I know it is directly related to working because it eases up some after a couple of days off.  At the end of my shift, the ringing much louder and I am very noise sensitive.  Normal "kid" noises (I have 3 of them) are painful, and I find myself very short with my kids and constantly telling them my ears hurt and to please be quieter. 

About 6 months ago I starting using JVC marshmallow earbuds like you would use with an IPOD.  These are great because they block out almost all background noise and the sound is crisp and clean. About 5 months ago I started editing VR reports, in which the dictation is greatly speeded up, making the tone of the doctors voices much higher pitched. I keep the volume as low as I possibly can. 

Has anyone ever experienced similar problems. I'm really becoming concerned I am doing permanent damage. I welcome any insight and suggestions. I am trying to go back to my "old-fashioned" headset and see if this helps.  Thanks!

nm

Does any know why I keep getting a space after the first letter of the word I have in shorthand, i.e. evaluation comes out as e valuation.

This is in response to a post made earlier to the MT who wanted to know if EMR is doing away with MTs. 

To answer your question, I would only direct you to the "job's wanted" board here, as well as to various other MT boards around.  Seeing the vast number of companies who are screaming for qualified MTs should answer your question and put your fears to rest.

EMR is too expensive and cumbersome for the vast majority of docs to use.  They will either have to pay big bucks for it and spend their time playing secretary or hire someone to do the input, which equals employee - benefits - paid vacation time - paid personal time, yada, yada, yada.  WHERE'S THE SAVINGS?  There is none. 

If the doc wants to play secretary and input the info himself, he's cutting his own throat doing it as he's earning secretarial wages instead of M.D. wages. 

EMR will not and never will wipe out our industry.  

I feel bad because I totally shouldn't feel this way but something about men MTs seems off to me. For some reason it bothers me that there is a lot of male dominance at the higher level in the MT field as well, i.e. supervisors and management seem to be largely male while the MT population as a whole isn't.

Any comments or commentary on the idea?  Like I said, I feel bad that I'm not comfortable with it yet but I guess it's because it's so rare to see.

Trying to get started with Focus and they require Microsoft Office Professional 2003.  I cannot get this from a reputable company.  They tell me that 2007 is not compatible with their system, but the people from microsoft doesn't see how it couldn't be.  Does anyone know a legal and reputable way to get this?

I have 1 year of experience.  Does anyone know of another good company that willh hire PT with this experience.  Thanks. 

I have 35+ years in this field -- started out on the job with a typewriter and "tanks of dictation"  I for one read posts and it's " I only want to work Monday through Friday, I can't work because of kids, whine, complain, etc, I need benefits so on and so forth  -- I have been working for 30+ years   -- I KNOW how to search the internet, how to spell and I will spend time researching etc  -- maybe for those of you, PRIVATE insurance is an option  -- I know in my own personal experience last year when I broke my leg and was in a cast for 2 months, my hospital bill INCLUDING follow up was $26.

So, you didn't get a "Christmas/holiday bonus", so you didn't get an MT week gift  -- right now, be GLAD you have a J-O-B and quiit whining and complaining and most of all GROW UP!!!

btw  -- s/o makes $22 an hour  -- he "got a raise" but come down to the nitty gritty, he LOST HIS RAISE and is making $3.00 LESS -- no benefits either

Any info on these companies would be appreciate-I haven't found very much yet. Thanks!

Jen

I am typing a letter on EMDAT that needs to be addressed to two doctors.  How do I make sure the second doctor listed in the cc box gets the dictation in the form of a letter and not just a cc?  Thanks in advance.

Does anybody have trouble with a sore left thumb from doing speech recognition in ExText? I have been doing it now for 5 months and have constant pain in my thumb. Just wondered if there was a better way of doing it.

There was an MT in Las Vegas

Who lost 20% of her wages.

Needing work that was new,

she joined up with a zoo,

and now she cleans animal cages.

I'm just totally disgusted when clinics call me inquiring about service. I always ask to receive copies of transcripts before I quote a price.  The quality of their transcripts is just a complete joke, and that's putting it mildly.  Run-on sentences, no punctuation, etc.  It just really looks like a fifth grader typed it.  You'd certainly think that with all the years of education the docs have had, they wouldn't tolerate this slop to save a dime.  What a joke!  I really feel sorry for the health care in our country. And you know what the problem is with this?  The docs don't call directly to speak wtih the MT Service owner - they have "their girl" do it, who doesn't know a hoot and a holler about medical transcription -- just the bottom line - "HOW MUCH DO YOU CHARGE?"  I do believe once the docs take the time and interest in their patients' notes, things may change.

What's your opinion on this? 

Is it worth it.  Are there many people out there that have landed new accounts this way?  Most MTSOs that have been in business for a long time say it is by word of mouth, but what about MTs like me who have been doing this five years.  I feel I'm ready for my own accounts and am not sure if this is the best route.

Any opinions?

I was on it for generalized anxiety disorder and it worked great.  I felt like me minus the anxiety.  No side effects at all.  But I did some research about weight gain and so I stopped taking it.  I was only on it for one month and the weight gain supposedly starts to appear after a few months to a year.  And we arent just talking 5 pounds or so.  People are reported 30-50 pounds.

I would like to go back on it but I have been really good with my exercise routine and am really looking forward to fitting nicely into that bikini this summer.  I am torn. 

Anyone out there who takes Lexapro and has not gained weight????

p

functioning properly . . . I know I've read on here before that AutoCorrect has limitations, but what has happened is that only my doctor's addresses and one other short are working.  With all the other shorts I had stored, they are still there, just do not work when I type the short.  I've searched for the .acl files without success, and had decided to go ahead and start re-entering the shorts (ugh!).  Anyway, when I begin entering a short, it is already in there, so I am just replacing rather than creating a new one.  The short then will work fine in my Word document.  Also, I should mention that when I go in through tools to AutoCorrect I am not seeing the shorts (except the ones mentioned above that do work, including those that came with my MS Office 2000), so I am only seeing them when I go to enter it as a new one and, again, it says replace and the short is there. 

I am baffled by this, other than from what I have read I may have done something to the Normal.dot template in Word . . . I just don't know, and any help you guys can offer would be much appreciated.

TIA!!!

Hi everyone,

I purchased a Dictaphone C-phone off of EBay; however, it did not come with a manual. I am totally lost. Are they all the same when it comes to signing a job off, leaving a job open, fasting forwarding a job, etc.? Is this something you have to program into the phone? If so, can someone tell me how to program my phone for these different requests?

I looked at keyboards yesterday and tried them (pretended to type) in the store.  The ones they had with each hand's keys father apart (which is what I thought would be best) were big, bulky, with keys that stuck up too high and just felt awkward.  The one that felt best was smaller ... more in order of a normal keyboard but curved a bit to accommodate more natural hand position.

Do you think this is an accurate assessment of what would work best for me, or would one get more used to the other type?  Are there split keyboards that don't seem so bulky and awkward from the start?

Thanks.  I really want a new keyboard, but I'm afraid I'll buy something I regret.  Just not sure how to tell what's best. 

Hello

I need to safely transfer audio files over the internet.  The physicians' office staff will be sending me the audio files, so this needs to be something fairly easy, so I can teach them, and it won't take too much of their time each week.  Picking up tapes is beginning to get too time consuming and uses a lot of gas.  Can anyone tell me the safest, easiest, and most cost effective way of doing this.  I bought each of the physicians a digital hand-held record that converts the files into wav files.  Any help would be greatly appreciated.  I also posted this on technical board, but I am desperate, as we need to begin the change ASAP.  Thank you!  Lynn

 Would you consider $1000 a week, IC status, working 5 hours a day, 5 days a week "great money"?

What do you make a week and how many hours do you work?

This is for informational purposes only and not to belittle or degrade anyone or boast and put anyone on a soapbox about their income.

Thanks for your help!