All that punctuation nit-pickiness was brought about by
Posted By: AHDI in their quest to offshore virtually EVERYTHI on 2009-05-28
In Reply to: Especially when most are anal QA...sm - stopped a long time ago
They needed a reason to do it. (And to sell their anal little BOS). Get everyone so freaked-out about commas and semicolons that they either quit, or their production falls off and they can be 'justifiably' let go, forcing the 'poor MTSO' to have to look offshore for bodies to fill their sweatshops.
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All that punctuation nit-pickiness was brought about by
They needed a reason to do it. (And to sell their anal little BOS). Get everyone so freaked-out about commas and semicolons that they either quit, or their production falls off and they can be 'justifiably' let go, forcing the 'poor MTSO' to have to look offshore for bodies to fill their sweatshops.
Punctuation
I would punctuate:
I told him to clean the area with hydrogen peroxide; and, after that he can apply the Neosporin ointment.
No, it is your punctuation. nm
x
Punctuation question
Which is correct, longhaul truck driver, long-haul truck-driver, long haul truck driver?
Quick punctuation help!
I told him to clean the area with hydrogen peroxide, and, after that, he can apply the Neosporin ointment.
How would the punctuation be on this sentence? Did I do it right?
Thanks in advance for the help..
Quick punctuation help!
Thanks so much for the help!
Quick punctuation help!
Thanks, I have been doing a grammer course.
Quick punctuation help!
Thanks so much!
Quick punctuation help! sm
Sorry, but it does not seem you received much help here. The truth is every typist has her own style. It seems that quite a few want to place a comma every time the doc pauses to take a breath or shifts a page. If that is what your own doc prefers, then go for it. Most do not, however.
Grammatically, you may use commas or not in this sentence, but none are necessary. It has been my own experience that doctors would rather have less rather than more in the case of commas. Believe it or not.
Quick punctuation help!
Thanks so much for the advice!
Is question about punctuation? (sm)
If so, I'd change it to:
MUST HAVE: Two years' experience.
Transcriptionists that do not know punctuation
I just had a dictation in which the doctor specified (correctly) where the quotation marks were in relation to the period at the end of the sentence and stated that he was tired of having to correct reports where it was incorrectly placed. I was aghast! How could anybody transcribe and not know elementary punctuation?
punctuation problems
HI,
I am taking my medical transcription course through Allied Schools. I am having a problem trying to punctuate the dictations properly. I would like to know if anyone can help me with this problem. What I thought was proper punctuation seems to be different with medical transcription. Are we supposed to transcribe the punctuation as the doctor dictates or correct it to what we believe is correct?
Also, I have an assignment that I just transcribed that is impossible for me to punctuate. If anyone can help me, I would truely appreciate it.
Grammar/Punctuation
I would mark it as a grammar/punctuation error, however they both hold the same weight score-wise, so it really doesn't matter if you call it g/p or spelling. If it were a case of having 2 different point values, I would go with the lesser of the 2 - I always try to give the MTs the break.
punctuation issues
I was very careful about punctuation until I had to research things and found that the MTs at my hospital NEVER use commas. I could barely understand some of the long, strung out sentences. I always researched obscure medical terms to make sure my work was accurate, yet I make $10 less an hour than others there because the pools are set up so some MTs get the profitable work before the rest of us. The point of this is, I don't feel that my excellent work is appreciated, and I don't believe the pool situation is fair, so I just do minimum to get by. I also work IC to supplement my income, and my IC work is much better because I feel appreciated.
Docs and punctuation
Regarding the posts down the list about the docs who dictate run-on sentences or add bunches of periods, etc. I am wondering why they are not instructed to not include punctuation at all. Our company has us disregard what they say anyway (since it is usually way off), and it seems they are making it extra rough on themselves.
I have one who says comma practically every other word. It really threw me off at first, but now I hardly even hear it (so used to ignoring it). But think how much easier it would be for them to not even think about it. What works the best is when they just use their voice inflection to signal the end of one thought/subject and the beginning of another. Being someone without a whole lot of medical background, it gets confusing when they don't.
Why is it no one seems to communicate with the dictators about such things?
You are not wrong, Punctuation goes
inside the quotation marks.
Need help with punctuation and caps
I have MS Word 2003. This program has always capitalized the first letter after a colon (:) and for some reason today it stopped. I cannot figure this out for the life of me. I have been in Tools, etc, and see nothing that addresses this problem. If anyone has had this problem and knows how to correct it, please enlighten me. LOL
TYIA
Misspelled words, punctuation
I would love to be an Editor some day, love reading the typos in the newspapers, etc. However, I nor anyone else is perfect and we all have our days. On the other hand it depends on what you are accustomed to. I have typed radiology periodically and on one account told to use punctuation where needed and another account that I worked clinic in-house radiology was told by the radiologists not to use punctuation unless they told us to because it could change the meaning of the sentence. So, I obliged and no longer use punctuation unless it is dictated to me. Unless I hear differently I will continue to do as I am told.
Per BOS2 - there are spaces, no punctuation between T N M (nm)
x
There are misspellings and punctuation errors.
NM
Punctuation "is not important"?!!
Consider these sentences:
The patient said her mother is insane.
The patient, said her mother, is insane.
Two commas that completely reverse the meaning of the sentence. We are not merely "word-slammers". We are expected to convey the meaning of the spoken word, and that is the role of punctuation. Punctuation substitutes for the pauses, etc. that are used in spoken speech to convey how the words are to be interpreted.
I'm no fan of the BOS by any means, but I can't agree with the extreme statements you make here, either.
You don't have to be an "English major" to know the fundamentals of proper punctuation, either. You should have learned that in grade school. And if they ever do scrap the BOS, you can be sure no one is going to scrap the basic rules of English grammar that you're expected to know and apply.
Verbatim radiology. Should I not punctuate when punctuation is clearly indicated?
Should I leave it up to the doctors to add their punctation for this verbatim account? Not putting commas around the word "however" is driving me crazy!
...your E-mails have to have proper English and punctuation.
Am I alone?
Are you from India? Your punctuation and grammar are giving you away. nm
x
AAMT has rules on punctuation that are a great help.
Review them??!!??!!?!
Okay, I didn't renew with them this year, but it still doesn't negate the fact that you could use a calming influence. If AAMT causes you stress, remove it from your memory banks rather than fretting about it. It is what it is.
We don't correct grammar or punctuation on this board...nm
x
Re: expanding with punctuation, more info inside
I have been working on this platform for over a year and absolutely LOVE it. It is not the same as autocorrect expansions. This platform offers a LOT more.
I will type this directly from my manual to explain how the ESP abbreviations are expanded:
Press or type a delinter (a spacebar, enter, period, colon, semicolon, comma, question mark or exclamation point) that is appropriate to the sentence text or punctuation. The exapansion appears AS SOON AS you type the delimiter.
You can highlight entire sentences, paragraphs, etc and enter them directly into the ESP list and make a short abbrev. to retrieve them.
To add an ESP, press control, control and type it directly in, or highlight text in your document and then press control control and name your short abbreviation for it.
Sometimes, depending if your sentences are really LONG you will have to copy/paste directly into ESP and then give it a short.
In addition, with ESPs you can format words to be BOLD by inserting a tag. You can also put a tag in for something underlined, italic, etc. They also allow you to insert pauses and backups in your ESP so that you can type yof and get the hyphen first -year-old female.
Pauses are really neat when you want to nest an ESP inside another one. For example: if you put the following entries in your ESP:
lt (left)
tphp (The patient had pain in the)
(The ESPs need to first be created and exist)
Now you type the abbreviation containing the pause then press spacebar. The sentence expands to the point of pause and then type the abbreviation you want to nest, press the spacebar and hit enter. The complete next appears in your document. Believe me, this is something Autocorrect cannot do and really comes in handy especially when you have really repitious dictators who always give the same order on vital signs, etc.
You can also run a microsoft word macro as part of an expansion if you want. There is a special dialog box that the ESP uses for this.
ESPs also allow suffixes to be added to root words (another feature) but this is something I haven't used much yet.
You can also create more than one list of ESPs (can have 2 open at a time).
This platform also allows you to make "normals" for really long documents. Say you have a 2 page op report that a doctor will use over and over. You can just bring the entire document in. You can edit these normals at any time. These are like templates that you can insert jump codes, all your headings, numbering formats, etc.
On this board, I've been reading a lot about how people run to buy either Instant Text or ShortHand (as these are compatible with Dictatphone) but this is not something you have to run out and purchase. The ESPs offer a lot more than autocorrect.
So far, my one list of ESPs has over 20,000 entries and my line counts daily for 8 hours average between 1500 and 1800. Not bad.
The platform is REALLY easy to work from as another poster said you can pull up previous dictation from another Transcriptionist and copy/paste directly into the document you are typing. This is a really great feature when you have those really lousy dictators who pretty much say the same physical exam, etc. You can then just follow along and edit as you go.
It really is easy to use, and personally I love the Expander and have no complaints. Good luck.
Gee, sorry I brought this up. : (
I didn't think of it as asking for medical advice. I know we are not doctors. Just thought someone might have some suggestions as it may not even be a fracture; it could be just inflammation. Just wondered what others may have done in similar situations that has helped.
what brought you to NC?
How long have you been in NC? Do you like it as much as Maine? What are the major differences?
What brought it up was
UPS came to my door and my little dog went crazy and she mentioned she had a kitten and then from there blurted it all out......
I am glad somebody brought this up...
I left Spheris  and took a job as a SE. I am not sure how to handle saving for taxes at the end of the year. Can you all give me some ideas as to what you do. I have a terrible time saving money, LOL.
its not the point, its the way it is brought about
x
I also brought mine up with MM....
I'm so glad you brought this up....
I feel the exact same way. As an IC, I do not feel I should commit to lines or a schedule. In my opinion, finishing early, doesn't mean a thing. As an IC, I have the option to refuse work at any given time. If the MTSO does not like that, then find an employee. I am tired also of finding that even IC status does not pay any better than the so-called employee jobs. Yes, down time should be paid as an employee. On another board, there is a job, IC status, 10,000 lines a week. Cut me a break. As an IC, you are supposed to be marketable to other accounts out there, not solely one account. You should be spreading out so to speak, and if you commit to that many lines, then how do you market yourself to other clients. Also, I find it rather odd when an IC status position is posted as full-time or part-time. There is no such thing in an IC's world. It is not that cut and dry.
I agree with you..... wholeheartedly...... 
You also brought up points sm
I had overlooked. Being willing to work Sat, Sun, holidays etc. I realize there are folks that dont' want this type of job, unfortunately, IT IS THE JOB! Medicine is 24/7 and so is this job.
If a person doesn't want this kind of life, then they need to get out of acute care at least. Work in an office, M-F making an hourly wage. But, to make it in this business, at home doing acute care for hospitals, you have to be willing to work outside of what most people call normal hours.
Another point to be thought about is if you are willing to do this, when these companies are approached fron clients about taking in new work, guess who will get called to do that work? You will because you are reliable and good and they are trying to "land" an account. It is very nice to help a company "land" an account. Most of the time, you will have your choice as to whether or not to do that account or not and that is more stability in your job.
There are so many variables you cannot put this profession in a box like any other. You essentially make your own paycheck! Its up to you. In this economy, people better be ready and willing to work outside the normal 40-hour a week, M-F box if they want to keep a job. That is just the way it IS!!!!!!!!!!!
WHAT BROUGHT YOU TO TRANSCRIPTION
I admit, I'm one of those women who got into transcripton because it was something I could do from home. I was 20 years old, single with a baby, and looking for a job. My mother mentioned going to school for Medical Transcription. I had no clue what it was nor did she. When I asked what it was, she said, "I don't know but I hear you can do it from home." LOL, that's all I needed to hear. Well, that baby will be 21 years old in a few months and I have to say, transcription has been good to us. There are actually 3 of us now, no hubby though, just my 2 daughters and I. Just thought I would share my road to transcription.
So, what brought you to the world of transcription?
What brought me to transcription
A moment of insanity!!!! That moment has turned into way too many years. It seems that a lot of us fall into the same seat when it comes to reasons. I was a single mom raising two sons, and it paid more money than the job I was doing in the insurance dept. of the HMO I was working at. The chief of Nuclear Medicine asked me to come to work for him as his secretary/transcriptionist had quit. I knew him from when I worked as a unit secretary at a small satellite hospital of the large HMO and he did overnight call. By the time I bid on the job (it was a union setting) the transcription was well over 6 weeks behind. My office was a patient's treatment room and the day I walked in there were nuclear medicine film jackets stacked half way to the ceiling on the entire patient exam table. I had a strong medical terminology background but no transcription or Nuclear Medicine experience. Luckily the prior Transcriptionist left her little black book with words and a folder full of sample reports. At the end of the first day I was asking myself what the h#&& I had done taking this job. From there I went into Radiology transcription, In and out patient QA, taught medical transcription, medical front office and computer applications for over 10 years. Now I work as a consultant and do it all. It paid my bills, paid for my house and bought my sons what all the other kids in our upper middle class, snooty neighborhood had. It has been good to me, I just hate seeing where the field is going.
What brought me to transcription
A moment of insanity!!!! That moment has turned into way too many years. It seems that a lot of us fall into the same seat when it comes to reasons. I was a single mom raising two sons, and it paid more money than the job I was doing in the insurance dept. of the HMO I was working at. The chief of Nuclear Medicine asked me to come to work for him as his secretary/transcriptionist had quit. I knew him from when I worked as a unit secretary at a small satellite hospital of the large HMO and he did overnight call. By the time I bid on the job (it was a union setting) the transcription was well over 6 weeks behind. My office was a patient's treatment room and the day I walked in there were nuclear medicine film jackets stacked half way to the ceiling on the entire patient exam table. I had a strong medical terminology background but no transcription or Nuclear Medicine experience. Luckily the prior Transcriptionist left her little black book with words and a folder full of sample reports. At the end of the first day I was asking myself what the h#&& I had done taking this job. From there I went into Radiology transcription, In and out patient QA, taught medical transcription, medical front office and computer applications for over 10 years. Now I work as a consultant and do it all. It paid my bills, paid for my house and bought my sons what all the other kids in our upper middle class, snooty neighborhood had. It has been good to me, I just hate seeing where the field is going.
Well, grammar/punctuation can dramatically alter meaning, so it IS important. nm
x
The father was brought in for report of him saying this and now he is
released. I guess the "report" of the "report" did not pan out enough to keep him in jail. The prosecutor is not at liberty to disclose anything and has said so repeatedly. No professional has ever quoted one of the suspects directly and you know that. A report of a report of this man having said this is all I heard from a reporter.
My son is also ADHD, but we brought him home
in third grade and he is now in 10th. He is no longer medicated. He was in therapy for 2 years because he was bullied, had horrendous teachers, and had low self-esteem because of various school issues. He came home 3 days after starting K saying his teacher yelled at the kids. I should have taken him out then, but didn't think I could do it. I fought the system for so long and continue to fight it today as I help other parents advocate for their children, but at least now my son isn't caught in the middle.
Lots of parents bring their kids home for the high school years, at least for a year. There is no law that says they can't go back for whatever reasons. I know lots of parents who have homeschooled K-11th grade and then their kids want to go to high school for their senior year. If your son is failing and miserable why send him to school.
This brought back some memories...
I was once approached in a Barnes & Noble AND a laudromat! LOL
No. Is it good? Have they brought their prices down?
Competition is a good thing to me. Wish we had more competition within our industry with companies fighting for good MTs.
Wow! you brought tears to my eyes sm
I was all ready to be blasted and your post actually brought tears to my eyes. I know it isn't ME because the same ME was barely making $10 an hour average on the account I was assigned before I got the one I'm on now and have been on for the last 2 years. I thank my higher power every day for my luck and will never forget that awful account I had before this one.
What if you brought on a combination MT/QA person, and - sm
you each transcribed, and then each checked the other's work? QA would go faster, more transcription could be done, and you'd sort of be killing 2 birds with one stone, while still being able to remain a small, high-quality service.
This brought tears to my eyes. sm
I loved this. I love animals and this shows how loving an animal can be.
yes, and those titles need to be brought down to just above 1st post. nm
x
Hey Crispy Critter......you brought sm
up a good point about docs compliments. We had one particular neurosurgeon the first place I worked at who was horrible to transcribe for. He said pretty much the same thing all the time so his samples helped. I came to work one day and had a note on my typewriter actually THANKING me for a report well done. No way do we get that anymore. There was a lot of satisfaction in this profession back then.
you brought up a good point. sm
Sometimes we would get compliments back then. I remember the first place I ever worked at. We had a neurosurgeon who was known to be horrible (and was). We kept samples in order to be able to do his dictation. I came in one day and there was a handwritten note on my typewriter from this doctor for a job well-done! I still have it all these years later. Today it seems like the "human factor" is gone from this profession and it has all become about production and money and the patients have been forgotten!
Huh? A simple google would have brought you to this...sm
http://www.google.com/search?sourceid=navclient&ie=UTF-8&rlz=1T4GZHY_enUS228US228&q=lung+synechiae
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