You should have a system to begin with. SM
Posted By: MsIndigo on 2008-03-18
In Reply to: Word expander question - Carla
I recommend mining the Productivity Talk forum for tips and a book such as Saving Keystrokes by Rolland. One high producer strongly recommends Easyscript Express by Levin, an old ABC-based ShortHand method that can be used with a keyboard.
When I first started with expanders, in the Ice Age seemingly, there were no forums like this to consult and I just started dropping definitions in without a good system. I've since had to redo everything a number of times as I wanted my Expander to do more and more for me.
As time goes on, you'll also want to abbreviate EVERYTHING for you, which requires system, both because you can't possibly remember thousands of abbreviations but remembering a few rules is easy AND because you need to have a way to enter various terms that seemingly need the same letters.
One tip just to jump you off: Some systems start two-word phrases with the first two letters of the first word and the first two or three of a second word. However, if you look up "lesions," say, in a medical dictionary, you'll see immediately that starting with three letters of the describing/adjective word and two of the noun (i.e., cocle for cochlear lesion and corle for cortical lesion) would serve you much better. Although if you gaze over just at the ones that start with intra- you'll realize more system than that is going to be needed for more complex terms. I personally start that prefix with "ia" to differentiate from ones that start with inter- "ie". Best wishes.
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Meditech is an operating system and Fusion is voice for a dictation system
nm
Where to begin?
Brandy,
Where do you live, most importantly? I am a mom to 3, in Georgia, and am currently homeschooling my son in kindergarten. I can give you some tips, if you want, but there is a lot, too much to post here. IF you want more info, post back and I'll give you my e-mail address or e-mail you privately.
Oh, where shall I begin. sm
The *hoopla* about offshore not being secure is absolutely a valid threat. It may have nothing to do with transmission and everything to do with the value system of another group of people though. At least three VERIFIABLE instances of offshore MTs holding medical records for hostage and at least one where the MT threatened to publish the records on the internet if she was not paid, exist. Hardly *hoopla* my dear. I seriously doubt if the CMT will ever become a mandatory credential and I seriously doubt that for several reasons. After nearly 30 years, the AAMT has fewer members now than it ever had. People are leaving in large numbers. I also have it on good authority that the test the offshore MTs take is not the same one given to US MTs. Personally, I don't put someone down for having a CMT, I just have no great real respect for it or the association. I trust I am allowed my opinion. I worked at a local hospital where the transcription supervisor was a CMT and she could not answer one blank when asked! I actually know a lot of CMTs who are not all that.
Maybe it's your attitude to begin with.
Change your tune. Be sugary sweet when you think someone is being rude to you and see what happens. Pay it forward. Give someone a smile or a kind word. Let someone in line in front of you. Just do one little nice thing per day and it will multiply. People are never rude to me. Everywhere I go, they know me by name because I take the time to be kind to them. Gas station, grocery store, bank, school, doctor's office. You might have to fake it 'til you make it, but you can change your outlook and how you perceive the world treats you. If someone is "rude" to you, blow it off. Maybe they're having a bad day and it's nothing personal.
To begin with, I would suggest
Paying for your rent/mtg, food and utilities without fail first.
I ended up in BK 13 so I can't help you with a company name but this is what I learned, food and shelter come first.
That's Why I Posted To Begin With
I didn't make the assumption that 'fast typing' was all it took. I still believe that you have to be able to type fast, but I also have 'top notch computer skills' and can learn well. I wanted to know more about training in this field because I assumed training was a necessary evil. One thing I didn't assume was that the folks on this forum were just downright rude!! Not saying you are, just most of the others that replied to my initial post. I am certainly not looking at MT as a way to pay my mortgage or put my daughter through college. Just a way to fill some free time.
Thanks for your post!
ADD vs. MT - Let the Battle Begin
Have you tried setting a timer for 20-30 minutes, then giving yourself permission to get up from the desk (setting the timer again for 10 minutes or so), wander around, surf the web a little (on a different computer if you can, it will help keep the surfing bug separate from the MT'ing bug), then when the timer goes off again, go back and set it again for 20-30 minutes and start typing again?
These days, I'm working in bed from a laptop due to back and wrist issues that don't play well with conventional desks, but in some ways that actually helps keep me focused, because it's such a pain in the neck to get up and walk away... I still struggle with wanting to surf while typing though - a problem I never dreamed of having back when my shiny new computer was an IBM PS2 or something like that - where the floppy drive held less information than my cell phone does today!
Good luck!
Does it have 3 letters, begin with an M?
If so, I'm there too...Ain't life grand???
The one time I asked for one, they said no. Ask and if they say no, begin looking elsewhere.
dd
The rules for Op notes are a little different. You may begin a....sm
sentence with a numeral; so, you would never spell out cc for blood loss, IV fluids, urine output etc. In the indications section, if a sentence starts with a number e.g. "Three days ago the patient" or "One day prior to surgery, I spell out the number. Otherwise, in the body of the report or in the headings, I use the number.
Don't get excited. You should have provided it to begin with. nm
x
The head set worked to begin with so
if it was in the wrong hole would it have worked in the beginning? Because it worked until I downloaded the pedal software.
How do you begin to come up with a line rate..
to pitch to a new account? Been working for others as an IC, now contemplating approaching an account on my own. No clue how to not hang myself and selling out at too low of a rate vs giving a quote that's too high and will make them back off quick. Would it be a good "rule of thumb" to take what you make as an IC on someone else's accounts and add .05cpl? From what little I've gathered over time, that's about the ballpark of what the MTSO gets paid per line for the account vs what the IC gets paid to do the typing. Does this sound about right to those of you who have experience with this? Tks
I promise you - I begin work at 7:00 p.m. - I'm only PT, and my day always begins with
stat, H&Ps, consults, etc! I love it!
When they have me working mornings I am getting special procedures, ops, caths, and don't like it one bit! Maybe 2nd shift would work for those who just can't see themselves working from 11 to 7. Good luck!
Nope. It was a small account to begin with.
The work never went anywhere. The company has not lost contracts. I'm not being "phased out" either. The workload simply doesn't suit my needs any longer. I can do it in my sleep, so I'd like more work that's more challenging.
I would never begin a sentence with an abbreviation, for one thing. nm
x
I begin my day, every day, with a nice 2 to 3 mile walk with
This gives me time to think, alone time, fresh air and of course exercise. I love to walk and it seems that since I began doing this I am less stressed out. Have you had your thyroid checked??? Just wondering if that could possibly cause hair loss. I wish you the best.
Was taught in my program that all those eye words begin with
s
That is assuming they could even understand the dictation to begin with.
I would love to see the doctors having to listen to dictation.
Utilize the speed typing engines and begin
storing in their favorite phrases so that a few letters will bring them up. I am working for several physicians. Took me a few months to get all the words into speed typing mode but now that I have, the time I spend typing is cut in half.
Never type a word larger than 4 letters.
chest pain - cp
pneumonia - pnea
atelectasis or infiltrate - aoi
so on and so on - whatever works for you. This is how to make money these days, high production. And the speed typing engines lessen change of typos and other erros.
Okay. Where do I begin? I need some advice! My husband is in real estate. sm
He owns 5 houses (rents 4), and just closed on a house on Friday that he needs to "flip" really quick! Basically, it's a 30,000 profit IF he sells it quick! We've never bought a house to flip before, but have purchased them for rental property and to gain the equity. Okay. I'm spoiled. Very spoiled. Or you could call it blessed! We are both Christians with good jobs. I only work part-time and then we live off of his salary and the 700 we make in rent that is extra after paying ALL the mortgages. But we are in a real bind now. We have renters who owe us 2 months of rent, well now 3 months of rent! They won't take our calls, you know the rest of the story! This house that my husband bought on Friday cost us ALL of our cash because we had to put some down and then pay closing costs (close to 4,000!). So now, for the first time, we are broke (NO cash flow whatsoever now). And I'm struggling over here! I mean, we can't even go and get ice cream tonight. I'm really questioning our decision to purchase this house.
See, we had no idea UNTIL closing (honest to God), just how much it was going to cost! So, we couldn't back out of it. We were thinking 2000 on the high end. I completely flipped out when the attorney told us how much we needed to write a check for!!!!
We've gotten a couple of calls on the house, but obviously no takers. My husband went straight from the attorney's office to the house to put up for sale signs in the yard! It's a cute house. We just need someone to buy it ASAP!
So, if you've ever wanted to meet the people on the Carlton Sheets infomercial - here we are!!! yes, we've made a lot of money in real estate, but there are huge, gigantic RISKS! You could go for the gutso (like we did and buy all these houses) and you could lot a lot if it doesn't work out. The loan we got on this new house is a type of loan I've never heard of before. It's just a "quick" loan where you need to pay it back pretty quick in the hopes that you will make the 30,000 in equity that the house did appraise for.
What do you do on a budget? What do you do when you are so broke you can't even buy ice cream for the kids? I want to cry now, even though I know some of you out there have zero sympathy for crazy folks like us...Well, I need some ideas on food. What's cheap to make and cook? I put 30.00 in my SUV last night and that will have to last me until the 15th!
To all of you who struggle every week like this, my heart goes out to you. It truly does. Now I know what it feels like to live in desperate need every day.....
They're not thrown to the dogs when they had no work to begin with!
nm
It's the way our system is set up..
We can search to see what work is out there, and we can also search by author and see what work each author has, and even look at completed reports, which is nice when you're stuck. I love my platform.
everyone on DQS (DEP) system
not all accounts are on it yet, but most are
Can you say what system it was? nm
xx
I think it is what system you are using,
that is why I asked you to tell me more. I use eScription and 1 can believe or not but I am amazed at how the ESLs are picked up better than the English. You are using Dictaphone- I have read other posts who are on different VR system and they are not satisfied. I have loads of ESLs on my account but am happy VR is picking up instead of my having to listen to them all and trying to muddle through.
Your system allows this?
The system I work on does not allow me to 'pick' my work. I have a pool of work and it loads into my computer 3 records at a time. I have to take what I get and do what I get. Your system allows you to choose what dictations you want to do? In my opinion, that is not fair to anyone. It should be what pops up gets done by whoever reaches it first.
I would say one last thing to my boss about it, if I were you. I would just tell her that you can sit there and watch what is happening, that this one person is taking the gravy jobs, and for your boss to sit and observe it herself and do something about it. I don't see why any person feels they are better than another, to get an easy income while others struggle. I sure hope it is resolved soon for you.
For every system set up, there is a way around it..
our system recently changed to allow only ONE job to be seen and worked on at a time, which they thought would stop the cherry picking, but it has not. There is a web site where we can still view what is coming next and down the line. The cherry pickers just wait, PERHAPs doing a little job here and there, and then as soon as a very large one comes up, snap. it is gone! I hate this way of things. I certainly wish that all accounts were "assigned" accounts. Much more fair to all transcriptionists. but that is just my opinion!!!
EMR System
I just got back from a meeting at my employer's office. They've been implementing EMR and expect most of it to be up and running by March. They haven't come right out and told us (the other transcriptionis), but we may be without a job, although they haven't really said too much. Supposedly they may still need us because there are some doctors that are set in their ways and won't use it.
What system do you use? NM
b
The problem is with our system.
As a Caucasion I do feel shame for what my ancestors have done to people of other races, especially to Native Americans. However, I cannot go back in time and fix that. The problem now is not that people want to come here, the problem is the gravy train our government allows outsiders that do come here. This is in no way good for the citizens of this country, no matter their original nationality. If I wanted to become a citizen of another country, the first thing I would expect to have to do is to learn the language. The powers that be have had a global economy as part of the agenda, and now we have it. This did not start with the current administration. I do not know if there is anything that can be done to help the situation at this point. The powers that be have what they want. If you are big business, then you can trade with anyone in any country who has the money. If this is what they wanted, at least they could level the playing field so that we could financially compete with those who are being given a free ride.
Then she'd get back on the system with
This is so-and-so, and I got disconnected AGAIN.
Call-in system
I have an internet based digital call in system with 4 ports. It is very simple to use. The doctor calls in and then the work is on the server, you load it with Express Scribe and do your work........If you want another transcriptionist to get work, then you just put in their e-mail address along with your doctor's key and it will automatically forward to the transcriptionist, while you still have a copy of the voice file to be able to double check the work. I bought mine through RT King.
abcdz system
Could you please explain?
Yep, but its the Dictaphone system...
My hospital rad account decided to "upgrade" their system which supposedly would take half an hour - its now 6 hours and counting - and the docs haven't been able to dictate since noon - boy R we in for a backlog tomorrow! 
Can't you log onto MQ's system and find that out?
I don't know about anyone else, but I would never stay with a company that didn't have enough work to keep me busy.
To sm, don't do it! Someone will call you and ask why you are off the system!
nm
Where can I get this vacuum system? NM
x
DOS based system
Has anyone ever worked for a company that is DOS based? I started a new job today, and their system is in DOS. To me it is really old-school, but I guess I will just have to learn.
Can you use the DOS system with Windows XP?nm
x
You can't explain it. Our system we have
set up, like I said before, does not help the people who really need it half the time. The people who can afford to build on the beach and build mansions at that, should have to rebuild themselves.
My point though is that not everyone can get out. Not everyone has that opportunity. I got so tired of hearing about it was the people's fault in New Orleans because they should have left. What do people not understand about not being able to leave if you have no vehicle? It is their local government's fault for not using the buses they had on hand.
Cerner is a pie system for MTs...(sm)
A hospital I used to work for went to Cerner about a year before I left. It was very nice for the MTs compared to the dinosaur system we had before it. The front office and billing I cannot say were so happy about it..and expect alot of headaches throughout your department until they get used to it. But as far as the MT side of it..it was great. LOVED the lil "sticky notes" you could enter on a document to bring something to the rad's attention before they could sign it off. 
About system restore, sorry about that
nm
Our problem is...system will
Therefore, we are not able to edit anything because we can't get in.
DocQScribe system help
Anyone use ShortHand and docuscribe together? With my old company i was using Word and shorthand. I had a macro set up to take me from blank to blank. I am lost on this new system. Any ideas on how to set this up? Thanks in advance!
Dawnrey
Do you use a digital system
How does it work on the clients end and on your end. How much did it cost?
Dictatphone System
I have an Enterprise Express that I would like to sell! If interested, please email me!
...that would be 'great' system! :) nm
s
It depends on how the system is set up...sm
I have worked on several different Meditech systems. They are all different. Margins are different. How the lines and/or characters are counted are different. One system counts gross lines, one system counts all lines blank lines included, one system counts just characters. Some count the headers, some don't. I currently work on two systems and when I copied and put into word, one system was right on and the other had a descrepancy I though might be the header.
lanier system sm
Please help. Our Transcriptionist left abruptly, and we are needing to acess the files to pull a medical report. We have the job in que, but we are not able to get any further. Can someone walk us through getting this thing typed.
HELP!!! Just bought new system
any ideas?
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