Word expanders

What is the best Expander out there? 

• Word expanders - Jen
  • It is a matter of personal opinion. Some like - me

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First to address your question about expanders, the main ones are ShortHand and SpeedType (which are the same as I understand it) and InstantText (IT) but there are a lot out there, some even free.  IT is the one with the most features I would say.  As a beginner, it could be overwhelming for you.  But you can Google it and on the web site see how other Expander programs can be converted to it when/if you decide to use it.  I'd do a comparison of these and see what makes the most sense to you, what you think you can handle, and I think most jobs will support these programs 3 Expanders at least.  I'd download a free one first for practice while you learn your own system for making short cuts unless you know which program your company uses.  These are expensive but more than well worth the money.  I have thousands of short cuts and keep adding daily.  The more I put in, the higher my line counts.

One hint -- If your company has it's own expander program built in (like ExText does), personally I wouldn't use it but use one that is not dependent on the platform (such as the above programs).  Your expander is your money-maker.  If you leave a job, you want to take it with you.  With ExText's ESP, you can't.  You must start from scratch building it all over again.  (If I'm wrong, somebody please correct me.)  That's too much time and effort down the drain.

Another suggestion is to read the thread on the forum about starting out as an MT where the poster is advised to start in-house with a hospital and get experience there.  That's even better than working on an expander.  This is if you wish to change jobs and start somewhere else, as I believe you said you already were hired by someone??  -- I don't know how long you can wait before you get steady work.

You can also visit web sites where you can test your knowledge of anatomy and watch surgeries, etc.  All this will help you.  When you find a good site, bookmark it for reference for when you get work.  Create a folder for every specialty you do, and then enter web addresses for good sites that address each specialty in their proper folder.  That will be part of your reference library.

If you know the names of physicians you will be transcribing for, make a Word file for each one and enter their most commonly used phrases, pargraphs, etc. as you get their work.  Then, if you get a report and you can't understand something they say, pick a word next to it and use the FIND feature to do a search in that physician's Word file and ten to one you'll see the word there that you can't understand.  You can't copy specific patient information.  That's not allowed.  But you can cut and paste parts of things for reference.  Also put these in your expander, of course.  

You're very welcome!

I didn't discover the WORD file idea until I had been an MT for a couple of years.  Found it on www.productivity.com.  Great place for ideas.  I had kept a 3-ring binder of samples until then--many, many specialties and physicians.  It was huge.  It helped, but with a WORD file you can cut and paste and use that FIND feature.  Sure speeds things up!  And if you decide someday to get IT, you can use it to compile a glossary. 

I also keep sample procedures/ops in a separate WORD file for each physician and cut and paste them and adjust where necessary.   I used to store them in the Expander but could only see a part of what each one was.  With them being in a WORD file, one following another, I can scroll or use Find to see what I need and again cut and paste into the report, as I don't work from templates.  Sure helps! 

Good luck to you! 

Do you get the common phrases and words off the internet along with coming up with them while you are working or do you just do it strictly from the work you are typing?

I am a new MT and want to have my Expander work at it's fullest potential.

Thanx

Does anyone know where I can get a free word Expander and a word/line counter?  I was using FastFox and TextTally, but I didn't realize it was only free trials.  I may have to go ahead and buy them though.  I just don't have a lot of money to spend on them right now, and I can't keep entering in my information over and over again.  Thanks for all the help

I just thought I'd offer this up: The ABCZ method for making shortcuts. I just came upon it after reading about it in the archives here. It's just a simple method that offers advice and suggestions about how to make and organize your abbrevation/expander files. Here's the link: http://home.earthlink.net/~agjon/abczrule.htm  There's also the book Saving Keystrokes, but you have to buy that. Anyhow, the method description is free for those who don't want to spend any $$. I hope this helps!

When I have to copy and paste admission notes, for example, and then have to reformat the whole page, all the BOLD  HEADINGS become BOLD HEADINGS.  Then I have to go back and re-bold them all.  Is there a fast way to jump between headings, besides just scrolling?

I need some help with this transcription.  It reads  Patient was on a cruise recently and she traveled in an airplane about 10 days ago and ear pressure persists and the patient denies any hearing loss.  No ________, fever, chills, nausea, vomiting. 

Can anyone help???

Hi,

Has anyone heard of Officebestdeals.com?  They are advertising Microsoft word 2003 for 11.95. So cheap!!  Kind of hesitant.  Any information on that would be appreciated.

Thanks,

Barb

gilpoetyitrca

Clue:  _ r _ _ _ _ _ _ t _ _ _ c

Please someone tell me which one is best word Expander which works with MS Word.

Thanks in advance!

Does that word sit wrong with other people?  I'm not new to the MT business but when I see that word it just makes me cringe. It is so commonly used in this industry and, to me, comes across as demeaning when we all are fighting so hard to gain some respect in this business.

Just my gripe!

Have a great day.

Here's what it looks like:

1. Cor pulmonale with salt and water total body fluid      overload, with cardiomegaly and edema.

I am trying to add a couple of spaces before the word "overload" so that the "o" will be directly beneath the "C" of "Cor pulmonale". But if I just click in front of the word and touch the space bar, it won't let me do it. Any ideas? I'm desperate to try anything. Thanks

Hi,

where do you get 2003?  They are anywhere to be found in my area.

Thanks!

Barb

Hi,

Does anyone know how to get 2003.  I have 2007 and have to change it.

Thanks,

bt

Thanks,  How do I do that change and will it be like having 2003.

Thanks,

Barb

Hi,

I have word 2007.  My fonts are on 10 and should be 12 and when I put it on 12 it keeps flipping back on 10.

New Time Romans flips back on something else also, how do I get it stop flipping?

Thanks a bunch!

you give it to someone else to download after you download it yourself.  Is this legal?

Thanks