tricks of the trade
Posted By: longtime mt on 2005-12-21
In Reply to:
I have seen a LOT of posts on here for people asking how to get their lines. Some are having trouble even hitting lower numbers like 1000-1400. I have been working for a long time on a little book of tips, "Maximizing Line Counts: 30 Tips in 30 Days." I started this at the request of my boss who wanted to give it to all existing employees as well as new hires. I am interested to know if there are any transcriptionists who would like to have something like this.
Complete Discussion Below:  marks the location of current message within thread
The messages you are viewing
are archived/old.
To view latest messages and participate in discussions, select
the boards given in left menu
Other related messages found in our database
tricks of the trade...
ok...so create autocorrect forced entries for words that often trip you up; if 'does' vs. 'dose' is a common error, create "doz" for dose and "duz" for does (or something that works for you). one of my common errors is 'doe shave' for 'does have'; so I created autocorrect 'doe shave' to be autoreplaced with 'does have'; i also created autocorrect 'dzhv' and retrain myself to use it. make sense? another proofing trick i use is to change the VIEW of a document during proofing; it's *amazing* how formatting and text errors "pop" when i switch from 'normal' to 'print' or 'outline' view...i catch things i would have missed had i not changed the screenshot. you can also use search&replace for common format/text errors; you just have to develop the habit of SAVE, SPELLCHECK, SAVE, CHANGE VIEW, PROOF, SEARCH/REPLACE, SAVE, COUNT, CREATE AUTOTEXT NORMAL (IF DESIRED), SAVE, EXIT, ADD COMMENTS, SIGNOFF...i think you'll see your QA improve =)
Re: tricks of the trade from longtime mt
Awhile back longtime MT offered to share tips to anyone who e-mailed him/her. Has anyone heard from him/her on this as I have not. I've tried a couple times to contact him/her but have not received an answer or the tips, so I was curious if I was the only one who had not. I really was interested.
old dog...new tricks...lm
Thanks for the walk down memory lane! I once knew a senior MT who originally worked off of WAX CYLINDERS ("by 1902 the brown wax cylinder was eclipsed by the molded black wax cylinder. A typical recording on a black wax cylinder was about 2 minutes.") At the end of her shift, part of her job was to scrape the cylinders clean for the next day's recording! I started out on noncorrecting IBM Selectrics and reel-to-reel tapes...then correcting Selectrics, but we had to make multiple copies with carbon paper and blue, pink, yellow, goldenrod, and white correction fluids...then the 1-line display Olivetti...then the Wang, Raytheon and Xerox behemoths. Also, I still have my original 1973 Sloane's Medical Word Book  Now I use a highspeed internet home-based LAN with VOIP and a KVM switch...guess the only thing that hasn't evolved is the quality of dictation! Kudos to all of you MTs out there from this 30+ year veteran. We've come a long way baby! 
tricks...
Do you do radiology with a lot of canned reports? I do acute care, have been in this business for 30 years, have 4000 entries in my text expander, and a good day for me is 1300 lines. My fingers never leave the keyboard. I see posts from people like on this board and I wonder what planet you are on.
In the old days when we used DOS, I routinely did 2000 to 2200 lines, but with Windows, I have never been able to get beyond about 1400 lines.
old dog tricks sm
I too am an old dog and got very tired of clients, especially hospitals, sending me their very worst, bottom of the barrel dictators, just because I got every word. They always dumped their pail on me as far as sending me the worst of the worst, the same with a service I worked for. Their excuse was "you're the best and you're the only one who can do them, so that's why we need you." Tired of that old line, but not much you can do other then complain in a nice way that you need a "mix" to keep your sanity. I used to get heartburn and headaches just thinking about how they could be so cruel. We also have a breaking point and a little break in between these guys and girls sure would be appreciated. Know how you feel, it's not fair.
old dog - new tricks
Well it is about time for me to come into the digital world. I have ordered my foot pedal and going to try and get my accounts digital -- plus am picking up an overflow account that I need it for. Anyway one major question and bear with this old, old tape user MT. If they send me a voice file either attached or through an FTP and I download it, can I then also forward it onto one of my subs -- in other words is it like my chart notes files where I have the original and only a copy is sent to my subs or when you attach a picture you still have it on your computer. My reasoning/question is because if I need to check over a dictation after they have completed it, I will have a copy on my computer. Or can they go thorugh the FTP site, download the voice file also? Thanks for all your help. Like I said -- old dog new tricks.
Tricks........
The trick is sit down and type. I use ShortHand as an expander. The hospital account that I type for and make 11 cpl requires 1000 lines a day....I do this in about 4 hours, 5 tops. That is roughly 250 lines an hour and in 4 hours I've made 110.00. Then I work on my other account that pays me 10 cpl for about 2 hours which is another 50-60.00. Then I wrap up my day with an hour or so doing clean-up on the account that pays me 9 cpl. There is no magic to it or tricks. I might mention this is all straight typing as none of my accouts have gone to editing, even though one is going to in the next month or so and at that time for the editing part I will receive 4.5 cpl. The money is out there, you just have to work. No one is going to pay you to sit in your seat and surf the net all day. A friend of mine works on the same hospital account that I do and she types 10-12 hours a day and pulls in almost 5000.00 a month. It can be done!
would love to know the tricks!!
I've been at this for about 6 mos and have finally gotten to a pretty normal 1100-1200 a day linecount... But would love to increase that and the $$!!
Google Tricks
First of all, if you go into advanced search in Google, it gives you tons of "criteria" you can work with.
The asterisk "*" is the wildcard. If you were looking for a medication that was 20 mg, you could put * 20 mg into Google and it would start listing all meds that were 20 mg. If you put: No wheezes, rales, or *, Google would give suggestions on what would fit here.
If you are looking for an either or, the OR (capitalized) searches for both. Like "side effects, aspirin OR tylenol" This entry would bring up both.
If you type in "define: words" (two spaces after define) it will list all dictionaries the word is in. Google also has a calculator, does conversions, all kinds of things, just have to look on the Google site.
Hope this helps answer some questions--
 Rebekah
Where did you learn all these tricks?
I have the program and have really not got into it too much yet, but the manual leaves a lot to be desired. It is very highly recommended so I intend to keep on trying. I bought it about a year and a half ago, and admit I finally gave up and put it on the back burner, but I really want to learn how to use it. I will add, though, that I have had a lot of trouble learning the tricks with Word, since I am on my own and having to teach myself.
My tricks - sorry long post
 I'm not an expert but this has worked for me.
Since I am the primary breadwinner of the household, I made the whole family a part of the budget process. We have two kids left at home (2 grown and gone) and I still manage to pay them their allowance (10.00 per week each).
How about we start there. I have a Chore Chart on a dry erase board on the fridge (so they see it every single time they hit the fridge) with the name of the chore written in permanent marker so they can't erase it, then put the initial of the one responsible for that chore that day. If, at the end of the day, those chores are NOT done? They get a black X in the box next to the chore. Only their initials are written in dry erase so I can change that around from time to time.
If they miss doing their chores 2 days out of the week, they get NO allowance. If they argue or procrastinate, that gets 1 check. If they get 2 checks by the chore, then that is the same as not doing the chore and they don't get the credit for it. Even if they eventually get it done, they still don't get credit that day because they procrastinated OR argued about it. Pay day is Friday.
Time is money people and I don't have the time to clean as I should, they are old enough, and they want money too. I don't give money for movies, candy, or trips to the dollar store. They now have their own and are learning to budget.
Sometimes I give them bonuses too for doing an inventory of the freezer, pantry, organizing the cupboards, etc... Helps us keep track of the things we have for the next step.
MENUS ~ If you get Woman's Day Magazine or First, or anything like them that have the monthly menu calendars in them? PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THEM. They can save you BIG $$ on your food bills.
My kids are horribly picky eaters and meal planning has saved me a lot of money. I now have them sit down with me, look over these meal planning calendars and see if it is something they would like. If they put it on OUR calendar, they initial it, and we make our grocery list. If the time comes for a particular meal and they turn their nose up at it, I send them to the calendar to see if they initialed that day. If they did.... Eat it! PERIOD. (by the way, I never put anything on the calendar that they don't agree with so, after a few months of doing this, there is never any more turning the nose up at dinner time - HA fixed their wagon!)
We also do a mass cook and freeze fest now and then. The kids get into it too. Very easy for them. THey are 12 and 13 so I have the meal calendar taped to the inside door of the pantry. When I'm working, they can go look and see what's on the calendar for that day, pull it out of the freezer, and put it in the oven. I have written the temp and time for each one next to the item on the calendar. Works out fine.
Power bills... Yikes - LIGHTS OUT. When I go to bed, every light in the house is OFF except the porch light, the little light above the stove, and the nightlight in the hall across from the kids rooms.
GAS- Holy Smokes. Up to 2.79/gal here now. No extra drives to here and there for anything. If you just want a cold pop to drink cuz it's hot? Make iced tea instead. Not worth that kinda money for a wasted trip to the mini mart. Just plan better the next time. The kids want to go to the pool or their friend's house... pump up the bike tire kids and grab the walkies. I make my kids take walkie talkies (Cobra brand 5-mile radius at WalMart for 80.00 and WELL worth it.)
One last little tidbit.... SAVE your receipts for EVERYTHING for at least 2 months then compare them after the end of that 2 months when you have learned to tighten up the wallet a bit and see the difference for yourself. Makes it really worth your while.
I have cut enough fat out of excess spending in the past year to put away 400.00 or more every month into a savings account that I can use for emergencies, vacations, whatever.
By the way... Would be a good idea to have a forum JUST for Budgeting and Money Saving ideas here wouldn't it. Administrators???? How about it?
I can share some Shorthand tricks if you like!
Gladly
it sounds like your doc is sharp and on to some of the tricks -
My hat is off to you for taking such quick action. You are obviously a very concerned parent. She will thank you for it one day, I am sure of it! Best wishes to you. :-)
Tips/tricks for getting FASTER
Hi all.... wondering if anyone would like to share some "trade secrets" for have better line counts, etc. I have been a Transcriptionist for 12 years now and know there are ways of being more efficient and being quicker at this that hopefully I could take advantage of. Thanks! 
trade
I am having the exact opposite problem, have plenty of work but can't seem to concentrate well enough to do it!!! You do mine and I'll do yours :)
Trade you....
I am all motivated to work today and am cruising the board and doing housework (ug) instead as I am staring at a 'no jobs available' screen on DQS!
Yes, I should have said trade, not job. NM
x
want to trade? -- sm
This is what I received-- an email from my account manager with an advertisement for Stedman's spellchecker 2009 with a validation code for a "discount." Only thing is, I received the exact same email from Stedman's themselves last week, and an advertisement post card in the mail with the same offer. Too bad I already have the 2009 Stedman's anyway, so none of these are really of any use to me. So, if you really don't want that 5.00, I would be happy to trade with you!
Has anyone ever heard from Longtime MT about the tips and tricks.
I haven't heard anything. Again I'm wondering if this person was just fishing for responses to see how many she'd get as she's never conacted me from the start nor have I seen any tips and tricks for boosting production. Has anyone else?
Potty Training tricks that worked for me....
I did this will all of my children. I would go to Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store and buy a lot of little cheap toys and trinkets and put them in a pillowcase. Everytime he or she went to the bathroom they could reach in and pick out a prize. They went every time and after less than a week were potty-trained and when the bag was empty that was it. This last year when I trained another one the lady at the check out asked my why I had so many toys and I told her what I was doing and she said "that is an expensive way to do it", but really $15 for a bunch of toys is the same price as a week of diapers and after that week I don't need the diapers anymore. Anyhow, I know it is bribing, but it works and you can't beat that!
FINALLY got it - Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! THANKS!!
What tricks do I have to perform to get a transcription job at home?
I have applied for so many at home jobs and have done endless testing (some very lengthy) and have not yet received any feedback from any of these companies and then they have more ads out for transcriptionists. I have 30 years' experience and have taught med term and medical transcription at the local college for 20+ years. What gives?
Any tricks on making work more pleasant??
Hey guys:
Does anyone have any ideas or tricks to make work more pleasant?? Been doing this a long (too long) time, and the isolation is getting to me. Any ideas?
Thanks all.
I agree! A "Tips & Tricks" would also be helpful...N.M.
x
I'll trade with you :)
54 here this morning. 58 inside the house because we forgot to close up the windows last night. Saving the wood and the oil until it really gets cold.
Then it hit 93 by noon, but now it is a comfortable 73 at 7:00 p.m.
We had a very long hot, humid, sticky summer. We still, however, are not looking forward to 5 foot snowbanks, temps of at least 20 below zero and heating oil at well over $200 for 100 gallons. Between end of December and mid-March we use about 700 gallons of heating oil. OUCH! We're backing it up with our woodstove this year, but wood is not cheap either. 
Wouldn't trade a second of it.sm
I started out working with quite a cast of characters in a private psychiatric hospital. Never a dull moment. Made a lot more money in the 80s than I do now too.
Yes, so trade one addiction for another?
x
Can I Trade Children - LOL
My daughter is only 12 and it's like pulling teeth to get her to save any money. As soon as she gets some (any amount) it burns a whole in her pocket and boom it's gone. So now I've taken to keeping all the money I give her for her allowance and when she wants something she has to come to me for the money so that way I can make sure she puts some away.
Wish I could trade you the chompers
for the long pausers. I don't mind talking and eating, just keep the talking coming and I'll figure out what they're saying. But the long pauses make me want to commit harikari.
Trade secrets would be -
Trade secrets are kind of like information pertaining to a particular company - for instance, their proprietory software and how it works, or maybe naming specific accounts and how much they charge, things of that nature.
Trade Secret...sm
There are basically three tests of a trade secret:
1. It is information that is not in the public domain, i.e. is exclusive to the company.
2. Its exclusivity is regarded by the company as providing a competitive advantage or some other benefit of value.
3. The company takes reasonable precautions to protect the information.
Within these parameters, a "trade secret" can be just about anything that a company decides it is, including customer lists, business plans, methods or processes of production, marketing strategies, hiring projections, you name it.
Anyone willing to share Emdat Inscribe tips/tricks?
I recently started working on the Emdate Inscribe platform. It is a little more cumbersome to maneuver than what I am used to, and I was wondering if any of you seasoned Emdat MTs might share any tips or tricks you've found to speed yourself up using this system? I've had a couple "glitches" with the function to look up/paste doctor names, for example, and not being able to close out the "prior transcriptions" box because there's no X! Not too much help from the MT company so thought I'd try here - any tips will be greatly appreciated, or if you know of any websites or other resources. You can respond here or to my email and thank you in advance!
I wouldn't trade this life for anything!
My husband is almost to his 11th year in the Navy and I have been with him every step of the way. It is a hard life on every member of our family, but if I had to do it all over again, I would definitely choose this way of life. We have so much more than what we would of had if we would have stayed in our "one-horse town" in Ohio...And, I don't mean that in tangible goods necessarily. We have friends all over the US and they are friendships that will last a lifetime! It is hard to have our friends leave us or us leave them, but we have so many places to visit when we want to travel! One of my husband's co-workers actually followed us out here to WA after shore duty and is on a different ship than my husband! (My husband does four years on a ship then goes to three years on land without deployments.)
Right now my husband is on a ship, but in February we are due to move to PA so that he can go to recruiting duty. It's been hard having him deployed for most of the four years that he has been on this ship. The way I got through it was to surround myself with some of the best ladies I could find and kept busy! I've spent holidays and birthdays with them...I've stood on the pier and watched the ship leave port and watched it come in. They have become my family. I have a daughter who is 9 and a son that is 3. They are well adjusted to the deployments because I constantly keep them on a schedule and their mind occupied. Now, that is not to say that they don't miss their dad, because they do....Things are just somewhat easier because of the way we handle things.
I know a couple of my husband's shipmates that have come into the Navy in their late 20's. They seem to be adjusting well and I believe once their time is up they will see it as a positive experience.
Whatever you decide to do just remember that you just won't be thrown into this life, all of you. There are numerous resources out there for military families, you just have to use them! Feel free to email me if you have any other concerns or questions.
Good Luck!
I wouldn't trade my situation for anything. That's exactly what I have. nm
x.
nope, never would trade one minute. nm
nm
wow - can we trade? Maryland's rates
are jumping 76% over the next couple of years because our *intelligent* general assembly did a freeze on electric rates since 99, expecting more competition (and thus lower rates). They gave away the baby with the bath water too (sweetheart deal on a power plant). Guess what? Didn't happen and now we're going to be paying out the wazoo PLUS interest to BGE with a "gradual" phase in to the full 76%. Can you say OUCGH!!!
See if you can trade with a equipment company.
another trick of the trade for soundalikes
that's a good idea; but to avoid extra Keystrokes and loss of productivity by deleting the glossary def entry you could also make *mental associations* for soundalikes, e.g. dysphaGia pertains to the Gut vs. dysphaSia pertains to Speech; ILlicit is ILlegal vs. Elicit Evokes; ilEum pertains to Eating vs. ilIum pertains to sItting... well, you get the idea! =)
check out Productivity Talk. Lots of tricks in their SH forum.
x
but no desire to learn a new trade at 58 years old
I agree with this, but I trade off in the opposite direction. SM
Mine are more clear in my distance vision, and I put on reading glasses from time to time when I need them. I only have to do this when the print is very small or when my eyes ore tired. Otherwise, I also like my bifocal contacts. My are made by AccuVue.
my PS makes typos but I wouldn't trade my PS
because my PS (production supervisor) is the most communicative and we all love this one....typos, schmypos - who cares as long as they get their point(s) across to us. They are not MTs nor typists.
I'll trade your friend for my cousin
He charges outlandish amounts to do our taxes. Last year it was over $550. The year before that was a little less 'cause we had a mortgage. We don't have that this year.
'Course he said he tried to squeeze every last penny of deductions he could out of our taxes. He even filed an amended return after talking to DH about taxes at our last reunion. Saved us a few more thousand dollars....but still hurt. I am an employee, gave up IC 4 years ago, but DH is still self-employed.
MS Word 2007 -- I have to switch over to this. Any hints, tips & tricks would be great. Thanks!
I've heard some people are not very happy with it. Any suggestions on how to get started, and any good tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and expertise!
Yep, that's why MQ is still ALLOWED to trade away daily on the pink sheets!
You don't even know what you're talking about! Just plain old ignorant, but posting away about the SEC. The stocks are still active, being analyzed daily, sold, bought, traded - but on pink sheets. Educate yourself before you post!
Call me strange, but I'd trade a little toot with a "sorry"
over two of my guys. One of them loudly masticates his chewing gum daily into my ear. He can't pronounce clearly because he's rolling the wad of gum around in his mouth so much. The other guy must need to be on Aciphex or something because he does that hiccup, belch, exhale thing. Both just grate on my nerves.
Treating private health information like a trade is wrong any way you look at it.
Let's see how you feel when you've been violated because your private health information was distributed for any and all purposes.
Doc is using software to do his own reports that puts the ® symbol after trade drug names and
I'm wondering if anyone is aware of a software program, maybe voice recognition, that does this? (I coudn't access the VR board to ask). This is one doctor in a practice that I transcribe for and I usually do his transcription for him, but the last time I logged into their computer to send them their files, there were reports in his file that I didn't transcribe that have this ® behind the trade names. I want to do a little research before talking to the practice. TIA
File complaints with the Federal Trade Commission, your state attorney general, and the SM
state attorney general for the state The VLC is located in. I happened to check it out and they have offices in Niagara Falls, NY and in Ontario. Be sure to forward copies of every thing your file to them. You can fill online complaint forms at the FTC website and the NY Attorney General's website. Print out copies of these forms and mail copies of them after you fill them out to the school with a letter basically stating that you have reported them to these agencies and they will be intervening for you on this matter.
I also like the idea of putting cc's on your correspondence to a local news reporter. And call them every single day until they are tired of hearing from you!
Good Luck!
I'll trade you your $88 bill for my $350 bill.
I would love to have such a small bill like that.
|
