Not to split hairs....

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For longtime comfort which is best - split keyboard mounted on chair arms or split keyboard to be used on the desk?

Also, why the preference over split keyboards that come totally apart versus split keyboards that are permanently connected at the top?

I want to revamp my office and there are so many different options.

sounds cool, huh?

I am physically nauseated!  3 hours of this.   gag

Add to that he can't say *our* alphabet so even though the hospital THINKS the docs are spelling the names, he wasted his time and mine. and when I get it wrong -- until I get the hospital to listen --- they will think I'm the *blank* one. (the board stopped me from posting/ said stup*d is not allowed here so you know what I'm saying - isn't that odd, I can't refer to my own self as that, hmmm)

He can't say NUMBERS.  Getting the drug doses is a joke.  Even the names of the drugs is like mystery science.

He says wrong months, days of the week.  If he's meaning to say May, he may say April.

If he's meaning to say 17 he may say 15.

You can hear the disdain in his voice when he dictates on women - I guess in his world there truly is no respect for women and you can really hear it when he's doing the dictation.

But the constant blowing - and clearing his throat - trying to dislodge that tickling nose hair I guess and slurping that yucky saliva has me just about ready to quit transcribing RIGHT NOW.  . 

Today I did make myself a promise.  I have been a good girl for 30+ years, held my anger deep in my ugly Wal-Mart pocketbooks.  When I retire in January and I know I will never have to turn on another computer or transcribe another medical dictation............I'm gonna go to the hospital ......maybe go sit in on GRAND ROUNDS FOR THE LAST TIME.......and BLAST THEM.  I'll do it or bust a gasket.  Just watch me.

I start about an hour after I wake up, which can be any time in the middle of the night, and put in about 2-3 hours. I usually go back to sleep between 7 and 6:30 a.m. I get up again when my body tells me to, and then I'm back to work between 11 a.m. and noon. I'll work until 4 and 5 p.m.

A "regular day" (two 15-minute breaks and an hour for lunch) is way too hard on me. Been doing the split for years.

Go to www.datavisionergonomics.com.  They have several different styles of keyboards.  I personally have one just like the Maxim keyboard, which is just like the keyboard has been chopped in half right down the center.  I've used mine for ten years and it's getting old and needs to be replaced.  When I bought mine ten years ago, it was over $400.00.  You can buy one now for under $$150.00.  Here's how it works:

I sit in my chair with my arms at my sides, and each half of the keyboard is directly in front of each arm.  I can put my schedules, an 8.5 x 11 in. paper, in-between the two halves of the keyboard!  That's how far apart the two halves are, and there is no strain on my wrists, shoulders, arms, or neck.  When I try to use my husband's keyboard now, a regular keyboard, I can't even type my name! 

It'll take you 1-2 days to get used to this style of keyboard, but take my word for it, you will love it and never want to go back to the traditional keyboards or even the so-called "split" ones that are still all in one unit, but have the right and left hands a little farther away from each other. 

Another thing, I (like you) use my left thumb space bar as the back space.  My right thumb, as usual, hits the forward space.  I never have to use my right pinky to go way up and hit the original back space key.  Hmm...maybe Maxim will give me a free keyboard if I refer enough MTs to them.    Let me know if you have any other questions.  Have a fun day!

Employee;  afternoon and late night/early morning split shift.

I recently began using an ergonomic split keyboard. I hated the first ergo boards that came out (where your hands were almost facing each other when you typed.  However, these new split keyboards are so comfortable to use and I completely adapted to it after two days...EXCEPT for the '6' key. They put the '6' on the left side of the keyboard instead of the right. This means I would have to retrain myself to type it with the left index finger rather than the right one.  This would be no easier than moving the 'r' key over to the right side of the keyboard and trying to retrain my brain to hit it with the right hand.  It also is difficult to  feel or see the error when it pertains to a number. 

If anyone has any advice or information as to where I could find a split keyboard with the 1-2-3-4-5 on the left and 6-7-8-9-0 on the right, I would owe you big time!  

At least that's what I think I read below in one of the posts.

The economy of our country is in the toilet right now.  Very few things are secure.  Times are tough and fixing to get tougher.  If there is any way you can slow down, get your bearings, get into a halfway secure position --- your mental health will be better.

You need your mental health in order to be there for your kids.

Have you considered moving the "molehill" instead of the "mountain"?

If the BF has already been approached about the split, what is his position on HIM MOVING out and not you and the kids?  That would be lots less destructive for them.

Also, I wouldn't count on any PT transcription job anywhere right now.  Trust me on this.  This job type is so fluid right now - it's a circus.

I wouldn't move from square one until I got the FT at the hospital.  DON'T MOVE UNTIL YOU FIGURE OUT IF YOU CAN GET THAT JOB.  Then get into it, see what you have to work with.

Secondly, I would not leave myself dependent on the BF for anything but money, and then the courts can get it for you if he decides he doesn't like this, gets a new honey, or gets a "wild hair" and decides to leave the country.

Don't depend on him for babysitting, don't "be nice" and try to share the babysitting.  DON'T DO IT.  Get yourself positioned so you are calling all your shots. 

I know MT looks good on paper when they are selling you an idea of working from home and STAYING WITH YOUR KIDS, but it doesn't work.  The mom ends up the zombie and life becomes like the twilight zone.  I know.  I tried it.  You need to get at the hospital, get daycare, get your childsupport coming in, .........and then think about moving or even buying.  In fact, if you wait, the housing prices are expected to fall even more.  There was an article in our paper about it again yesterday.  Hold off.  If you rent, if the plumbing goes, if the A/C or heater goes......the landlord is responsible.

I don't know if this will give you some things to consider but I hope so.  I raised my kids by myself (of course it was different times but the men were the same, ugh!) and at some times I didn't seem them for having to work so many hours.  I wish now I had just gotten me a State worker job, 8-5, insurance, retirement, gotten a little house even if I had gotten on a program where it was federally assisted, and gone that route.  We could have been together as a family, I wouldn't be doing this horrible life I have now with trying to still work at 60 years old with no place to live.

Think about the future - it's right around the corner.  The kids will be gone and trust me, they won't look back even if they love you lots.  They will be BUSY and you will be an afterthought.  All things in moderation.

First thing - DON'T MOVE, let him move. 

Second thing - WAIT FOR THE FT JOB.

Third thing - Be getting that child support coming in.

I wish you the best. 

p.s. Even if you decide you just have to move and rent even a 2-BEDROOM...it can certainly be done.  My ggg grandparents raised 13 kids in a 2 bedroom old farm house.  Kids slept all over the place!    You and the older kid could share if it's a girl/or if a boy, let him share a bedroom with one of the little ones, and you put the other little one in your room and make a game of it - they will all pitch in and later you all will have "war stories" to talk about when everbody is grown up. 

are on separate schedules (though I have some flexibility) and we find we have to plan private time.  I'm a night person, he's a morning person - just doesn't work very well.  If you worked Sunday through Thursday schedule you'd have a chance to have some time to sleep on Friday and you could still have a weekend and not be dragging your butt.   If kids are all in school you could sleep during the day and working nights might not be so bad.  There will be a period of adjustment and there will have to be some compromise about when you sleep and when DH takes care of the kids, but you do what you have to do. 

My daughter will be 2 in April...Maybe you can try something like this... I am working 5 a.m. - 8 a.m. and again at 10:30 p.m. to 1 a.m.  

I know where I work they swoon over people who can pull a split shift...say early in the morning and then again late afternoon into evening.  I think it really helps get places out of TAT jams.  I once did 7am-11am and then 3pm-7pm for a while and it worked out great for me at the time and was equally beneficial to them.  Have you tried pointing out the potential benefits for them, to them?  Might be worth a shot if you haven't already.  Good luck! 

Does anyone use this keyboard?  I just got one thinking it would help my hands from hurting, but I am having a bit of a hard time adjusting to the keyboard.  Did anyone else have this problem?  If so, did you catch on, or did you have to return it?  I went from the plain keyboard to this, but It has  slowed me down tremendously.  I wonder if I should get an ergonomic keyboard without the split?  Any suggestions?

Thanks in advance for your suggestions!