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Quotation marks must confuse a lot of people. sm

Posted By: GLF on 2006-11-14
In Reply to: Transcriptionists that do not know punctuation - Unhappy Camper

I even have a couple of doctors who dictate quotation marks incorrectly, over and over.  They'll say things like:  The patient said he quote feels better *quote period*


Transcribed, that would be:  The patient said he "feels better".   (Note the period outside of the ending quotation mark.  Doesn't it look... wrong?  It is!) 


It should be:  "feels better." (with the period, THEN the ending quotation mark) 


The rule (from my handy Webster's Grammar Guide) is that the period and comma are always placed before *ending* quotation marks. 


I see this mistake all the time on this board and in internal company memos, which really drives me crazy.  I hate to see it incorrectly because the more you see things done the wrong way, the more that way starts to look right!


Quotation marks confuse me sometimes too, because there are rare (IMO) times when the punctuation (like a question mark, for example) does go on the outside of the quotation mark, *depending on the material being quoted.*  But that's why I have a grammar reference book.  


 




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quotation marks

The only time that I would transcribe these words were if they are a direct quote from the patient and then they would need to go in quotation marks.  I have always done this in this manner, but did find information on it in a MT guide book that I have on hand.


Do you know what quotation marks mean?? nm
x
Does this forum not allow quotation marks?
My previous post (right above this one) should have had a definition of dysphagia included in paragraph #3.

I would type the definition of dysphagia out longhand in the glossary entry.

Dysphagia = trouble swalloing

Dysphasia = trouble speaking

NightOwl, which definition did you really mean to type?

Then, after seeing my glossary print that all out, just by me typing out dysphagia, I would then go look to see which definition I meant.

It took about a week before I committed that one to memory and was able to delete it from the glossary.
period goes inside the quotation marks. NOT OUTSIDE
x
You mean quotation marks? I wouldn't use them at all in this case. nm
..
If it's not a real word, I put it in quotation marks.
x
My best one says inverted comma for quotation marks.
x
I'd type in the "belch" in quotation marks...sm
the same way an SR program would pick up, since the suits/MTSOs are so enamored with SR.  When he/she gets to (maybe) read and sign the report, maybe they'll wake up.
No flame--commas & periods go inside quotation marks--ALWAYS.
"right", they get "left".   Hate to see a good MT not do this correctly.
That's exactly what I meant. Sorry to confuse.
xx
Don't confuse EMR with voice recognition
EMR is simply where the patient's records are kept in a computer database. Now HOW that record orginates depends on whether it is manually transcribed or is generated by a voice recognition program by the doctors. You need to ask the MDs how this will change how you do your work for them, (example if you're getting tapes now, will you be getting digital voice files and need a WAV pedal to transcribe?) or will it mean they will start using a service? You won't know by asking US....ask them.

good luck
Sorry to confuse -- what version of Word are you using?
xxx
Don't confuse EMR with click and point.
Click and point may end the need for clinic MTs, but hospitals still need detailed reports for joint commission.  Hospital dictation still needs to transcribed.

Quotation
I do believe that the quotation came from Edmund Burke, the English statesman, did it not?
If it is a quotation of the patient, I put it in ==sm
quotation marks. If it is not and just something the doc says, I try to change it without losing the context of the report. patient notes are no place for cuss words. I had a question about it one time and asked my supervisor. she said she wanted to know about it, so I flag it. I even had one doc cussing out the Transcriptionist during the dictation for misspelling a word on a prior document, which I thought was rude, because he has no idea which transcriptionist is getting his dictation. I told my supervisor about that too. He has not done it since.
Quotation, good men to do nothing. Yes, it's from Edmund Burke. Thanks for the heads-up!
nm
or they call them pock marks. nm
x
Over 200 views, it marks as HOT topic.
//
Helpful for me was to turn on paragraph marks (sm)
I was told that those are the "containers" for all the formatting codes. You can't see them, but sometimes if you have a tricky formatting problem, you can copy and paste a paragraph mark from one place to another and it quick-fixes problems.

Having the marks on there takes a little getting used to, but it didn't take long.
It's Keith Richards who has the pock marks, not Mick.

nm


I'd quit so fast I'd leave skid marks on my keyboard!


Google "Miscrosoft Word 2003" (use quote marks)
 
if you live among trashy people, low income people, people w/o goals or direction,
content to just get by, you by default become a part of a group. "people" have decided to group trailer people as trash. that is because there are enough people in that group to earn the title and even if you aren't trash, you are categorized by others. did i think i was trash in lower class neighborhood surrounded by people who drank and fought all weekend? no but i knew i wasn't staying and did not try to pretend that all the fools in the neighborhood were just nice folks who ended up where they were because high horse snobs deemed their neighborhood low class. people for the most part live exactly where they belong because they don't want to educate themselves, they don't mind "trash" around them and they don't want to be bothered trying just a bit hard to extract themselves from that world. they justify everything to themselves i guess saying everyone who doesn't like their lifestyle is a snob and the comedians (Jeff Foxworthy/Chris Rock, etc) who make fun of them are just ill-informed.

As for me, I fought hard to get out and don't even want to look back. It amazes me people stay for generations.
I usually question it, with 2 question marks, 1 in front, 1 at the end..sm
and send it to QA.
Errors in medications are taken very seriously, errors in terminology, too, but punctuation errors do not have a heavy impact on one's performance, that's what I experienced.
so many people was wishy-washy nowadays...love to see people make
a stand for what they believe in...

it is kind of wierd those statements have to be made in the first place but guess we are an ever-transitioning country and are still young. so many different beliefs yet not much tolerance.

I found your post respectful, and right on as to how you feel. it does not seem that difficult to sift through to read and respond to messages someone might not care for...
Just remember that it is not the people on this board who short changed their people and ONLY after
caught did they (after they were suied) make an effort to look good by sending out these checks. Now, think about this--had they done this many years ago when they short changed everyone, that would have been honest. Does it not bother you that only after they know they are under the gun that they are doing this to try and make themselves look good?

I used to work for MQ and I used to like what I did. I never can say I really liked the people that I worked with, but I really think they had some of the best accounts that I have ever come across in the MT industry. I loved working the major teaching hospitals that I did, but that certainly does not mean that I enjoyed being cheated out of pay.

So chill already. People have been cheated, were lied to, and only AFTER they got caught have they tried to return some of the money they robbed us of (as well as cheated their clients).

We all have reasons not to be happy with this company and you go off on us because we are complaining of things like small refund checks of a penny or a few cents or a few hundred dollars and NO WAY to even check to find out if this is correct?

I am sorry you are unhappy all of us thinking that there is still a dead rat in the cellar, but there is still a dead rat in the cellar and nothing will bring the dead rat back.

I would hold no love for a company that I know willingly cheated the very people who helped THEM make money out of their hard-earned money.

Go take a deep breath and think about that.
My people skills are just fine. I just want to hire people who want to work.
I've not been ugly, I've asked questions, legitimate ones.  Please tell me what is wrong with that.  This site is not just for MTs, it is for QA Editors, Supervisors, Service Owners, there's even sections for Billers, Coders, and Nurses.   
rude people? I would take good pay over polite people any day
Besides that they have never been rude to me and I have been here for almost 2 years. What do you consider a bad account?

I know my account is a little tough, but I am used to it. I am tough!
Rude people? I hardly think so. They are some of the nicest people I have ever worked with. sm
Not just management, but QA as well. No one is rude. They are a very understanding staff. There is one account that is hard but all it takes is getting used to it. Once you are used to it, it is no harder than any other ESL account that you would do anyplace else. I have heard all these things about TH from the archives and I have yet to come across rudeness or any kind of thing that I have read about in the archives. I would definitely pursue them if I were you. I think you will be pleasantly surprised.
2 people to do that amount of work, is she nuts? More like 20+ people - nm
x
Certain people getting raises, certain people not. Guess who is?
Say what you will about unions, the good and the bad. But, one thing they did ensure is a raise, good benefits and that you would have a job in the morning.


Yeah right, OF COURSE! How could there be other people who don't like QA people?
Could only be one.   Hahaha.  Dream on.
I agree, some people will never get it but, then again, what does it say about them as people? Not

.


I don't like people
nm
Just so happens there ARE some people who
CAN really produce and NOT cherrypick. GEESH.

Problems come from working with stinky attitudes like yours.
The people....
Did you ever think that what you take as politeness might just be their poor language skills?

Why don't you go over to India and live for awhile - they have half of our MT jobs so you should be able to find work (Healthscribe, Medware). Then, tell us how polite they are.

People are people - just because they live in another culture doesn't make them any better than us or any worse than us. It is the job, working with the public, that wears people down eventually. It is particularly easy to be rude over the phone.
There are people who don't know better, there are people

who need to be at home for whatever reason, a chronic illness, kids, caregiver to sick parents, etc.  Any job is better than no job if you need to eat.  


If there were enough decent paying jobs with honest companies no one would work for the low paying, dishonest companies.  So far I have turned down jobs with MQ because of their actions, quit a job with SS because it is a lowsy company, I have turned down 2 positions with companies that offshore.  Fortunately I got on with a company that paid a decent wage and one that doesn't offshore, though it isn't the great company that it used to be either, but it is a living. 


try something most people have a
problem with and your worth increases .. neurology and ophthalmology for instance.  Most people are afraid of the eye .. wonderful once it becomes second nature.  Oncology is another sought after skill, but takes a lot of work.  Also you might contact M-Tec to take their class in neuro or OAK Horizons .. they are both very good.
That people such as yourself
would quit airing your dirty laundry and asking for advise - and then get all pissy when people give their opinion. After all, that is what you were after right? This is MT Stars, this is NOT a military advice column or posting board. When you open yourself up on a public forum, then be prepared for what follows.

Personally, I think anyone who signs up to defend the country and then turns his back on his duty is HEARTLESS.

The military makes your obligations and consequences VERY clear.
Sure some people do need help..(sm)

The below is an e-mail that I got from a lady who lives in Houston.  These are her observations only, but it sure does make you think about all of the self-righteous out there who really don't understand another person's hesitation in taking many of the people in to our communities.  Some of them come from a whole different kind of mentality.


 


Well...

 

I feel sorry for these people - they have lost everything - they have nothing. I blame their own government at least a bit for not evacuating the ones that were too poor or had no way to evacuate.

 

That being said, it isn't going as well here as the media makes it out to be. Anthony has been down the to the Astrodome as required by the Fire Department, and I went down on Saturday with a friend of mine.

 

The Astrodome holds around 50,000 people - and there aren't that many evacuees down there. There are bathroom facilities, but these people are squatting on the streets, parking lots, and lawns of places down around the astrodome and leaving behind urine and fecal matter. They are throwing trash wherever they are when they finish with it, and quite a few act like we "owe" them something. I can't tell you how many people were bitching about the MRE's that they were being served.

 

As high as gas prices are, I will go out of my way not to have to drive by the Astrodome (my RE's office is about 1 mile from the dome). When you stop at a stop light they come up to your car and beg - and knock on the windows. There have even been reports of some jumping in the backs of pickups and even scratching cars and trucks with knives, if you don't give them money.

 

I know that there are some good people out there, but there are a lot of bad ones too. There are some that were appreciative of the baby formula (breastfeeders - please don't jump on me here) and diapers and coloring books that we were handing out - and some that were bitching about the brand of diapers, the fact that we were only authorized to give out one can of formula per child and that we didn't have a certain kind of bottles. I even had people that refused to take gift cards from Grocery Stores - wanting money instead.

Last night, one of the evacuees was able to score some alcohol somewhere, got drunk and carjacked a car and ran into several parked cars - the police were able to pull him over after a 15 minute chase.

 

And I can't get over the smell of raw sewage in the area of town that most of the evacuees are housed. The plumbing in the toilets are working just fine - but they aren't using it. They are trashing the place.

 

I can't imagine what it must be like for them, having nothing but the clothes on their backs - but I think I would be more appreciative of whatever someone could do for me, instead of griping about what kind of bottles they were giving me to feed my kids with, and that the MRE's were cold.

 

I really have mixed emotions about the whole thing. I feel sorry for the people who couldn't leave, and got stuck in the chaos. I don't have as much sympathy for the ones who could have left, but didn't want to.

 

I am sure I sound like a cold, callous, b****, but I was absolutely amazed at the attitude of most of the evacuees that I was in contact with on Saturday.

Some people believe anything

Evacuees are NOT trashing the Astrodome! You people choose to believe anything. There are enough cameras around the Dome to show how residents are reacting. Security is very tight and strict there right now! As far as "sorry people" that were evacuated, you do NOT know their situation NOR their minds and hearts. My brother was one of the evacuees. He was a student at the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. He lived in Orleans parish just blocks from Ward 9. Most of Ward 9 are very poor people, handicapped and disabled, and yes there are some drug addicts and lawbreakers there. But I bet if you would look in your own neighborhood you would find them there yourself! Some people, if you could crawl out of your own self-righteous world, do not choose to be in the financial shape they are in. Let's see here, I live in NE Mississippi and people's financial status in this community is very poor. Why? Is it because we have women having babies at 15 and no daddies and no desire to better theirselves? NO! It's because our lovely government signed NAFTA and allowed all our manufacturing jobs to be taken away. So what happens to the people? They fall in the cracks!


 


Back to New Orleans. Let me tell you all about the wanting certain things to be donated. A evacuee does not EVEN get to choose what they want. How assinine of you! Do you think they just sit on the streets and wait for handouts? NO! They have to get passes to even leave the Astrodome or any other shelter. It is the Red Cross that is not taking clothing donations and asking for particular donations. My brother went to the Red Cross to get assistance and was told unless they were living in a shelter, they could not help them at this time. Where is the justice in that? We took clothing to the shelter here in MS and was told to take it back home because they didn't have the time to sort through it. They said that was the job of the Salvation Army. ALSO, our area churches wanted to adopt families and take care of them. Out of 300 families, 50 were given homes to stay in. Last Thursday, we were told by the Red Cross unless we could take them all, we could have none! It had to be the evacuee to approach us and ask, they would not allow us to come in and get families because they said it would only stir up strife. The Red Cross needs some serious reorganization! They have infuriated me!!!


 


So before you get on your high and pious throne discrediting ANYONE, why don't you come on down here in our area and just try living in the situations that are going on right now. Life is very difficult for most of those people. They have lost all of their livelihood and have no hope for the moment. It's only when loving, kind people with caliber that you do not seem to possess, try to help those that are less fortunate!


BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU
I get the garbage every darn day.  You people bite the big one and not well.
BECAUSE OF PEOPLE LIKE YOU
I get the garbage every darn day.  You people bite the big one and not well.
Why are you trying to tell people
what to say? If you would look at the start of the post, MQLOVER was trying to help. People were coming down on her and she became defensive, rightfully so.
Why are you using other people's
initials. You don't use my initials just because you are replyig to me. Use your own name. You confuse people by doing this. Why are you doing this? Are you new to this board?
Look, people,
I am saying I have missed her and other people on this board. It is extremely sincere. xx oo
exactly what would you like to have done? People would need to know what they were (sm
walking out for. 
Wow, some people
are really dumb. It kind of is a shame. How are we getting screwed more with the new plan? Your logic is coming from a tiny mind. Please, leave MQ. You are the MT that is giving the other MTs a bad name. Go work for MT Tards. I bet you will get a job there hands down.
Why is it that people in this....sm
industry get upset when pay scales aren't posted in ads when with most jobs pay scales aren't posted for any industry?   
Please don't put people down sm
There are lots of us with college degrees who are doing MT'ing and that most certaily does not require a college degree.  My first husband had a college degree and made his living as an electrician; one son has a college degree and makes his living as a plumber (both cases that's where the money was).  There may be a lot of reasons why an individual doesn't have the opportunity to obtain a college degree and it isn't necessarily because they aren't college material.
Some people are using
Dragon Naturally Speaking to redictate reports instead of typing them.