Can you tell me more about alphagrip, it really looks intersting, can you type fast?
Posted By: movin' on on 2008-04-06
In Reply to: touch screens - (sm)
nm
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how fast you can type, has little to do with how fast you can transcribe
Let's face it, we can only type as fast as the doctors dictate... worse, we can only type as fast as we can *understand* the doctors. Given someone who slurs or has a heavy accent, someone who clears his throat constantly or shuffles through the paper, given an unfamiliar account or work type, or an area we don't have much experience in and have to look up words, etc., any and all of these things combine to make typing speed not really relative at all. I personally type 110, but not when I'm transcribing. I tell most folks who ask, if you type 65-75 wpm, you're solidly in the ballpark for doing medical transcription.
How fast do you type? I do about 130 wpm.
nm
This job is not about how fast you type, SM
but how smart you type; meaning using lots of macros. There are numerous books on the topic *** to get ideas. It's not about speed.
*** Edited by Moderator
I agree. It is not how fast you can type, rather
whether what you type is accurate or not. It is better to be slower and better than faster and typing gobbledygook.
There is no way I could type as fast without an expander.
My Expander does about 60% of my keystrokes. I can transcribe a whole sentence or even paragraphs for some of my docs with only a few short keystrokes. There is no way for me to type that fast. I could see if you had a hard time remembering your shortcuts then an expander might slow you down, but my shortcuts are second nature now and I don't even have to think about them. In fact, when I don't use an expander, I still often will type a shortcut and then will have to go back to expand the word when I realize my expander isn't open.
Can you type as fast on a laptop keyboard? nm
//
I'd think 8 hours; depends how fast you type - sm
and how good the quality is of the dictation. If you have to break down multiple people talking I expect it will take you longer than 8 hours.
Just create a command entry and use a short form that's fast to type. sm
This will bypass the Extext command. Make sure you put the trailing underscore at the end of your entry so you won't get an extra space from your marker key. Your entry will look like this:
{command}{Alt.}_
If you like to type (fast), are fascinated by medical field, enjoy working solo, you will be fine.
You may have to go through three jobs (over several years) to get to the big money. Best to chose a specialty which you find intriguing and tends to pay well (surgery, radiology perhaps).
Prob is then you may get all fast fast fast talkers...not a fair way nm
x
transcribing with the AlphaGrip
Before I discovered the AlphaGrip I had been searching for a tray to hold my keyboard on my lap, and I wound up buying the one offered here: http://www.laptoplounger.com/
I have never been able to work comfortably with my keyboard in my lap, and still was not able to with this tray, but it works great for my foot pedal and is adjustable both in height and angle. I will have to try to take a pic of my setup and post it here. I have my recliner on an old futon frame so that I can use a rolling laptop desk and have my computer in front of me while I am reclined, with the tray I mentioned for the foot pedal set up on the end of the frame (need to stabilize it a little better).
BTW, when I bought the Touchsmart computer, the wireless keyboard that comes with it is smaller than the one I was using prior, and I was able to take an old lapdesk and Velcro attach the keyboard to it, and I was finally able to have the keyboard in my lap. When I bought my AlphaGrip, I was able to immediately discontinue use of the traditional mouse, but gradually switched from the keyboard. The AlphaGrip web site has tons of information and free programs to help with learning to use it. I started with a program that one of their early customers came up with and is provided free, and then downloaded some of the typing games they offer. Most of the keys are hit with the same finger as on the QWERTY keyboard, but to fit all of the keys from the traditional board in such a small space, some of them are chorded. Basically, there are three shift keys, regular for caps, red for numerals and some special characters (-, +, =, etc.) and green for punctuation and some other special characters. I love mine, and with the pain I was having before, I do not know that I would have been able to stay in transcription without it.
Sorry so long . . . I guess I'm passionate about my AG :)
AlphaGrip mousing benefit
When I first began using the AlphaGrip my right forearm, wrist, hand, and shoulder were already in pretty bad shape from typing. I noticed a new pain on the side of my hand, but I think this was due to trying to get used to using the AG, as I no longer have this pain now that typing flows more easily. All of the other pains mentioned are much improved now, and it seems that the more I use the AG versus using the keyboard, the greater the reduction in pain has become. I much prefer the AG and unless I am scrambling to meet a deadline I do not use the keyboard at all. I cannot wait until the day that I feel I can throw it in the garbage can.
You are right about the mouse. I think that the pains I was having had a great deal to do with mousing, and that was the number one feature that sold me on the AG. As I mentioned, I was looking for about two years, but purchased the AG in under a week after first seeing it. This is exactly what I was looking for in a new keyboard . . . a way to mouse right there readily available, and the traditional mouse was the first thing to go when the AG arrived. I haven’t looked back!
It actually was not strange to hold at all and fingers fall into place naturally, and a lot of the keys are struck with the same finger as one would use on a conventional keyboard, though not all, and it is a matter of getting used to the new positioning, which is the same reason that some of the ergo keyboards that have a normal key layout are awkward to learn to use and will slow one’s typing speed down.
There is a lot of information available on their web site for learning to use and customizing the AlphaGrip. While I’m sure it’s not for everyone, I am very happy with mine and glad I found it.
depends how fast the MT is......No one would want to pay me by the hour because I'm fast.
nm
don't type double spaces. Type single. Then no one will be cheated.
x
I can type with wine, can't type with coffee, though...too jittery.
x
That is, type the code above before and after what you want bolded in the text-to-type box. nm
nm
For me it isn't an account type but a dictator type ...
and that would be oriental. An oriental dictator (hahaha, that kind of sounds funny...hahaha) is the most challenging for me.
No, you don't type directly into ES. You type in Word -
or whatever their platform is, just like you did with your tapes.
Then you do your line count in Word or the platform.
You should type them. I usually type them in parentheses following the diagnosis.
x
remind me, type what they say, type what they say, type....
"He indicated that at the beginning of the year he complained of health problems recently but has gotten better." C'mon doc, which one is it?????
RUN, RUN, RUN, as fast
You do not want to work for SS. They lie, steal lines, and will work you 7 days a week for as many hours as you are willing and you won't get paid accurately. Their line counter is always "down" and you can't track lines accurately.
run very fast
I too am an ex-IC for eTranz and this company is not professional at all. I consistently received paychecks 2 weeks late. Deb Garrison, the owner, if very unprofessional, hollering on the phone, hanging up on you. There is no communication in this company whatsoever. There are some very good companies out there. Please do not work for this company.
Get out fast!!
Well you definitely need to get out fast. Easier said than done I know I lived it. He sounds like my exhusband except throw in some cheating as well. He called me every name in the book and never wanted to do anything around the house but griped about it constantly. He stayed out and drank and everything else under the sun. He was also violent and would throw things and hit things. I feel your pain. It took me one night just finally getting my fill. No crying occurred like before. No yelling. Just me calming saying that was it I would be leaving and wanted a divorce and by two weeks I was gone along with our son, not quite 3 at the time. It is hard to leave financially and emotionally but sometimes you reach that point. Get out as best you can if you can!
Run as fast as you can
from AIM platform. It is more like typing in fields such as data entry.
I need help, fast!
I'm losing my job at the hospital in two weeks due to outsourcing and have decided to go it on my own. I have $800.00 in my budget to spend on a digital dictation system. Do you suggest I buy a phone-in system or an Internet software system and what brand names of each/or do you recommend? How much does the average one cost?
Thanks very much for your help. I have to move fast because my money is fast dwindling down and I want to make sure I make a wise and good investment so I can get moving in trying to find clinic accounts.
Anne in Clearwater, Florida
Need help fast
Before you jump into unchartered waters, I suggest that you start as an IC with a small national. You said you are a newbie. You still have much to learn. It takes a few years to hone your craft and be able to work independently without assistance. I would be afraid you would be biting off a little more than you can chew right now. Not trying to insult you. I have been around for a long time and would hate to see you make an investment like that and have to struggle. Find a position with a small national doing multispecialties for a couple to three years.
I'd go for a min. of $18 - now the fast MTs - sm
and the production guru's won't like this as I am sure they make more than that. But I only make $13-$15 now on production; some days down to $9/hour, depends on the dictator. But I think $18 is a fair wage, though I am sure many would disagree.
How fast can you run?
I would definitely not go that route. It would not be my choice of transcription platform!
They want to seem as fast as possible?
Maybe because the more lines their editors do, the more they (the company) get paid by the hospitals? I dunno ...
fast fox
Fast Fox by NCH, the Expander by the people that gave you Express Scribe. It has been good for me, it is easy and CHEAP. Go to NCH.com to download a free trial.
No I don't work for NCH but I tried it because I always like express scribe.
Shorthand users: Is there a way to type a word, use a slash and then type another word..sm
immediately following the slash and have it expand. For example if I needed to transcribe mass/sebaceous cyst, is there a way to use my expanded sebaceous cyst without having to back space after I type the slash mark? TIA
Fast dictators
When are these ******** doctors going to figure out that by dictating 100 miles per hour they are NOT going to get an accurate accounting of their patient encounter???? I feel like I'm being set up to fail. I don't care how much experience we transcriptionists have, if you're going to dictate a three page report if 1.5 minutes, SOMETHING is going to get missed or screwed up. I hope that extra three minutes they saved themselves throughout their busy day is worth it when the patient's chart gets the wrong data and somewhere down the line a big mistake is made. I've had a terrible morning, struggling with Mr. All-Important who dictates vital signs as one long rambling of numbers, never in the same order (one time it will be weight first, then pulse, blood pressure, respirations and the next time it will be blood pressure first, then weight, then respirations, then pulse) -- I've had it!!!!! I've got so many blanks in this batch of reports that I'm embarrased to turn them in.
Thanks for letting me vent. I'm not a bad transcriptionist.
Speaking too fast
Wake up call -- they speak too fast so they can blame you for any mistakes. The same with those who write poorly - "That's not what I said." Another reason is they are too cheap to take the time to speak slowly, have to keep making those $$$. It's all about the money - not the patient. It also gives them a sense of "power" over you. You'll catch on. 
Well it's pretty fast. SM
Brown your hamburger and maybe drain it if you don't buy extra lean. Add chopped onion and 2 cloves garlic, stir it all up till the onion is clear. Add salt, a smidge of sugar, just a little. Chopped bell pepper if you like that. Then add chili powder till it looks right, add canned tomatoes, tomato sauce (I don't like paste, but if you do, I guess you could use that). Ground cumin.
I'm no Texan, so I like beans in my chili. Pork & beans used to be $.22 per can so we got a taste for those in our chili, LOL. That's what I use.
Did I forget anything? Oh, if it looks too clear and orange, you can make a paste out of a tiny bit of flour and water and thicken it with that. Simmer. Serve.
Any chili cooks out there? Did I forget anything? I just make it without thinking!
You can also use chili seasoning in a packet but I don't like that as well, personally.
Not so fast sunnyMT (sm)
EMTEE's duh was not directed to you, it was to the subject they typed in their response (digital records instead of digital recorders)
Philips makes digital recorders that do not require a docking station. The DPM-9360 is one of the cheaper ones. It can use either a USB cable or memory card for transferring files.
Try looking at WinZip for securing the files. Email is not a secure method of tranfer and if the files were intercepted, it would be a HIPAA violation. Using a password to zip the files with WinZip will make them secure for transfer and zipping will make the files smaller allowing you to download them quicker.
Fast Chart
Any info about Fast Chart?
Geewhiz, that's fast. Don't know how you do it!!
I bow before thee. Hahaha
That was fast for you Jodi!
My ex kept playing games,scheduled the pick-up over 11 times, each time the police had to be here and set up in advance, so they were not happy at all. Realtor called the judge because the house showing did not do well with a 2 car garage packed with all his junk.
Judge finally "ordered" him to show up on a date SHE chose and if he did not, then his stuff (including his furniture) would be picked up by a local battered womens shelter and the Salvation Army!
7 months post exist he showed up with some help but the cops who had previously sat around waiting for him also showed up off an on (besides the 2 there to protect me) and did some subtle irritating
Keep reaching for that star Jodi, it will all work out for you. You've taken the most important step in gaining control of YOUR life again and freedom with security is sweet!
you are right! I read too fast!
nm
RUN AWAY FAST FROM THAT OFFER!
I had to purchase the StartStop foot pedal for $200. The first day was a nightmare. The second day was worse. The third day was just pathetic, but the fourth day was okay after I sent them a nasty email. I had to explain to them, I was a Transcriptionist and not a translator. They put me on another account with doctors speaking English and as soon as I got my line count decent, they put me back on the ESLs. Their accounts are 99% ESLs. When I say ESL, I mean they do not speak any English whatsoever, i.e. "thrappy" is therapy and "palowang" is electrogram <---- I am still trying to figure that 1 out. Their QA/editor must be an online transcription course poster and have no experience in grading a transcriptionist's work. They constantly change your report, spell it wrong, and then turn it in to the client with words misspelled under your name. Then to top it off, they send you nasty emails stating your accuracy rating is low due to mistakes. When you go view the corrected report, your report was actually right and they were the one who changed it for no reason because they do not have grammar, medical terminology, etc. So I would not take any offer with them. They are more of a learning transcription company who have not mastered transcription itself. Therefore, they are not capable of grading an experienced transcriptionist's work because they are still learning.
Running away fast...
Thank you as well NM, I will certainly take your advice!!!
Cheers!!!
fast docs
Why don't you get with the office manager and get copies of their standards and then all they have to do is say "use my usual or make changes". Mine were too happy to do this because they HATE dictating as much as we hate hearing them like that. And, I still got my line pain in spite of using normals.
depends on how fast you are as an MT
its difficult to get any sort of speed i.e. production, as an Editor whereas as an MT, if paid by the line, the faster you are, the more money you make. The people who make more money as editors are generally slower typists or else people who really have heard and done it all.
oops...too fast! There should be
an employment area on the site to let you know if they are hiring in all departments. At least, this is what I have found when I googled our area hospitals. Hope this helps.
I think that when one is a good, fast MT, when those - sm
requests to work extra hours or fill in for extra accounts, the answer to that question always has to be, "Since this is extra work for me, how much extra are you going to pay me for this work to make it worth my while?" If they aren't willing to pay their top-notch MTs a premium wage to do that "important" work, then let someone else do it. My time off to be with friends and family is worth a lot to me, and it's going to take something substantial in the way of an incentive in order to convince me to give up my "R&R" time.
"SHOW ME THE MONEY!!!"
does everybody have fast internet but me? sm
If you do not have it, what do you do for a solution? It is so frustrating. I can't move, I can't get it, no one wants satellite, forget dialup. Just wonder what the rest of the world does out there.
I believe it is Talk As Fast As You Can Day sm
My NPs, PAs and most of the docs are talking faster than the speed of sound today. I have to run them on real slow just to hear them talk normal.
Naturally Fast?
I am fairly new on here and realize I am asking a lot of different questions (hope you don't mind).
I am wondering if most people who end up fast enough to make a decent living at transcription are fairly fast from the start, or if one can really increase over time. I am really struggling financially and don't want to give up, but I also don't want to spend endless time in a field that just isn't for me.
Any stories?
Naturally fast
I feel I am just naturally fast. Yesterday I transcribed 2000 lines in 6 hours without pushing. I learn new accounts quickly, including ESL. Technology has definitely made me more productive. It sounds corny, but I feel like I was "born" to do this. Like I said, corny.
Any not naturally fast out there?
I can see I am not naturally fast, so I'd really like to know if there are those out there who had to work at getting fast (and were able to).
Any testimonies will be very much appreciated!
If you are Fast and Good
MDI of Gaithersburg Maryland will pay 10 cents a line do not promise more than you can type or they will make you prn like they did me.
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