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Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

(more than 1)Quiet, not coming here, timer, expander, deadlines - nm

Posted By: Laura E. on 2006-01-28
In Reply to: If you could share one thing that made you more productive - what would it be?

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I use a little handheld digital timer from Pyrex (our oven timer doesn't work) - sm
and it's great, has two digital windows, clock on top, counter (which is what I use) on the bottem, then you can switch "modes" to a screen with 2 timers if that is what you want. Cost about $10. So I time myself more now since it helps me buckle down and I see who I am fastest at this way.....average anywhere from 12-18 minutes of dictation an hour doing this--- unfortunately I spend too much time looking up addresses but I hope my address directory will be to the point one day where I don't have to look up anymore (or at least not much). Have fun.
5 minutes to myself, quiet, a shower with quiet and no interuptions (never happens) and fresh air -
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anyone know the deadlines for the W2s/1099s to be mailed out by? nm
;
Get you a timer and sm....
and see if you are actually working that entire time or if you are like me and very distracted and really only work 5 of the 8 hours. I am terrible about checking emails, looking out the window, surfing the internet, etc., etc. and once I really look at how long I worked I really only got in about a third the time I thought I was actually working. This may not be you at all, but this would help you to see if this is part of the problem. You might also get you a notepad that you have on your desk and write down everytime you answer the phone, answer a question from spouse or kids, got up to do something, etc. and see what type of distractions are taking away from your working time. I am talking from experience here. If I was not so distracted I would probably do at least 2000 lines a day but I am lucky to get 1300. Just a thought and good luck.
Timer
XNoteStopwatch.com
A real old old timer
When I learned how to type in high school, we had the manual typewriters with no letters on the keys.  The first electric typewriter when I was a senior, was awesome! You barely had to touch it.  I can't remember either the name of the first "word processor" I used, but I know that soon after came the "Mag Card".  I definitely don't miss any of these.  Yes, that was before production.    Boy, just thinking about this makes me realize how "ancient" I am and how far technology has come in my lifetime. 
TIMER FOR TRANSCRIPTION?

Here is a question for you gals (and guys).  Where can I find a timer like the chess players use that you can hit the button and it stops, hit it again and it continues.  I would very much like to be able to track just how much time I actually spend on transcribing versus jumping up and down doing housework, answering the phone, door, etc.


Thanks!


I used to use a timer, but not anymore.
It would jump the living daylights out of me every time as I was "in the transcribing zone." :)
Sounds like me to a "T" -- I use a timer too - sm
I find if I set it in 15 minutes increments I get more done; then I try 30 minutes. I find with the harder doctors I can get up to 12-14 minutes an hour done that way. One doctor I can do 25-28 minutes in an hour this way (he's my favorite), even then though I only average about 160 lines an hour since I have to look up addresses, or look up an unfamiliar term, etc. All that slows you down too. I am getting better though in the time department but still have a long way to go. Kills me to think I can have my work done in 6 hours or less IF I would buckle down; don't know why I torture myself but need to give myself a good kick in the butt!
Is using a timer cheating?
I work on production only.  I do have a set schedule, but the company I work for is fairly flexible.  I have started using a timer where I set it for 60 minutes and stop it if I am interrupted, have to get up, etc.  This gives me a more accurate picture of exactly how much I can type in an hour.  Is this cheating not to just go by clock hour?
Only part timer here
and i have a housekeeper, have for years (say 12-15) even when it was just me and my child at the house. I do not like housework, never have so I have someone to come over not every week because only the 2 of us and the 3 furry ones. I do not think that expensive.
Part-timer, too sm

Half the year I only worked 15 hours a week, second half worked 30 hours a week and will make just over $30,000.


for old part-timer
Yes, I have.
I think 0 Vicryl looks weird.
The 0 could easly be lost somewhere. It makes more sense to be typed as 0-Vicryl, so that one knows where this '0' belongs. Otherwise it is just dangling there all by itself.

I looke it up and the right way is like that:
0 Vicryl
3-0 Vicryl.
This has no logic.
I use a stopwatch but I'd rather have a chess timer!
Makes a real difference for me!
Agree with Old Timer. Don't shortchange sm
yourself. A good education will make this very difficult profession a whole lot easier for you. After college, though, you should get a job in a hospital or clinic to get some good in-person mentoring. The MTs who don't do this and go straight to working at home end up having to struggle and never quite making it.
I'm an old-timer who loves PRD also and will share with you what little I know

PRD is DOS based and must run in DOS-based WP program.... I have a link that explains how to load WP DOS if you are interested.  Looks pretty complicated to me... I gave up as realized I was eventually going to have to move to Windows.  Bought InstantText which allows you to add PRD glossaries - but I hate it!! 


http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/windowsxp.html#installguide


Part-timer here and I have housekeeper
NM
Desktop Timer- Where can I get this online?
For Free.
Weber short timer
I too have only been with the company a short 3 months. Great supervisor, 2 good accounts. I do radiology and work 3rd shift so I do run out some nights. But plenty of opportunity to make it up during the day if I want. So far thats the ONLY negative I have seen.  :)  Good luck and welcome aboard.....
No distractions. Stay in your chair. A timer.
x
Use a timer and limit yourself, you'll feel much better
x
digital kitchen timer and a scratchpad ....
I am always startled at how much tallying line count every hour or two keeps me focused. Some days just spread out vaguely and my line count suffers as I get distracted or restless.

The info your platform provides should be enough ... to keep some sort of a running tally.

I trust almost no one is still doing manual logs (best kept in Excell, imho), but yes, even with manual logs, a "bad" hour total can provide the seat-in-chair motivation to perform better next hour.

Taking breaks is a good idea -- but I admit I still spend a lot of time playing catch-up.

POLL: Productivity gain using your expander and what expander you use.
Guess I need to make it work harder.
The shortcuts expander works with the Bayscribe expander as well.
All at the same time.
I do the same thing for set my timer for 20 minutes, that 1 nap does the trick usually for the rest
of my day (if I happen to be working during the day). If I start nodding off late at night, I just go to bed and get up early if need be to finish up.
At one time, someone posted a link for a free clock timer. sm
I've searched the archives but could not find it. It was for timing your actual time spent transcribing. Anybody remember what it was. TIA.
Get out the timer. You'll have to force yourself to work uninterrupted for periods of time.
Just keep in mind that you WANT the money. Best of luck!
You can also download (free) a product called Cool Timer from CNet.
You can set it to act like a stopwatch or to countdown time. I use it all the time and it has helped me immensely. I just have it open all the time on my toolbar. http://www.download.com/Cool-Timer/3000-2350_4-10062255.html
But I do know myself. I am quiet and keep to myself

tragedy.  So I'm pretty sure I'd look WITHIN and gather strength and then focus that on my kids and getting them through school.  Plus I'd need to so some weight losing/revamping to go looking for another man!


But the "traumatic amputation" thing.  I just posted about that the other day on another board, saying my aunt told me when my uncle died it was not like a death, it was like an amputation, because they were so close.  Just wondered if you picked that up from there.


It's quiet to me!
I get up way earlier than my husband and our bedroom is right across the hall from my office. He never hears me typing! And the 3 choices of backlighting is awesome! I love the Saitek!! I've had it almost a year and will say the N and D key have white blotches over the letters, but hey, I know what they are! That's the ONLY drawback to this keyboard that I can find. I will always have one!
quiet
Conjunctivae, not conjunctivas
quiet
Anterior chamber is quiet? Could it be: Conjunctivae clear, sclerae anicteric, anterior chamber is quiet?
He has been really quiet
for like 2 or 3 days
I think most MTs like quiet

and solitude and are more introverted than extroverted.  Most people don't understand the nature of the job and the skill set it requires along with the personality.  We are not librarians but we have to have the aptitude and the research skills that most librarians have along with a desire for knowledge and understanding of medicine.  People who have to be around people all the time naturally would think people who worked from home and actually liked it were odd. Just look at all the people looking for jobs they can do at home these days. Most people think jobs from home are scams.  MT is a legitimate job and for some quite lucrative.  No one has it easy these days with the job market the way it is so maybe some people only wish they had MT skills and get frustrated because they are stuck and have to play the people game every day.


I have been there -just say "I'm so sorry" and stay quiet.
a cooked meal sounds great!!! A good time to do that is after the hoopla has died down and she is faced with emptiness. That is when most people think you should be *over it* - she won't ever be. If you are a close friend, send her a card on the child's next birthday and on the 1st anniversary of his/her death. The mother will love you for it. Mention the child in conversation whenever you can, but don't force it.

and p.s., you are entitled to your own feelings, so gripe about anything you want!
Transcribe it and keep quiet. sm
We're professionals. We do our job and we keep any info learned to ourselves. I've even typed reports on family members. Never disclose any info you learn as a part of your job.
You lucked out is all if it was quiet....sm

But most MDs dictate near the unit stations where the nurses and other people are talking loud and seemingly don't care that there is an MD there trying to dictate.


I STILL work for MQ (only on weekends for 9 years and work privately during the week).  They quit the *cesspool* stuff and have given us all 3 accounts (possibly more for other people).  I sometimes do get a 4th account if all my 3 others are done.


Have a good one!!! 


what if your environment is quiet?
anyone have suggestions for headphones that provide the best sound optimization and clarity? i work at home alone in the office in my basement, so i hear nothing from outside and don't have anyone home making noise.
Some just can't be quiet and have to ruin it for others.
I agree.
Just keep quiet. You are griping and complaining. nm
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Need a quiet place to work without .

Trying to avoid interruptions in the home.:)  Any of you work from an added room or trailer that you turned into an office?  Closing the door is not an option.  Would need to actually leave the house even if it is to go to a room added on or to a camper in the yard.  Wondering if others have done the same thing.   I saw in the paper where a company rents out an office for a day, a week, or however long you need it for.  Wondering if that would be worth it just to have the chance to work in peace.


 


Yep, very very quiet town. Not much happening there
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Just 3 words: "David, be quiet."

And then you just walk away or change the subject to something like, "DO I SMELL SMOKE?!!


I'm actually thinking "David, shut up." But that not only is not nice, I'm sure there is a "go to hell" card in his "Meet My New Religion" game for that expression.


Goooooood luck


And don't get married because you're going to fry in hell if you don't. Trust me, it only makes more laundry and dishes.


Merry Christmas!!!


lol. If she is quiet during the night, be thankful for that.
DD
Bose Quiet Comfort 2 - now they have a new
version which supposedly is even better - QC3. They are AMAZING. They do block out background noise, though its subtle. And the clarity is amazing! I can hear what the doctor is thinking!
Quiet with a candle burning. Shh....nm
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IMHO, you don't want silent...you want quiet. sm
Keyclicks do provide important feedback.
Any reks for a quiet keyboard that has NO
s
eclipse II by saitek is more quiet than some...
it has some nice features like it lights up different colors. The most quiet keyboard I have ever used was for the MAC and it was from Suntouch - absolutely the best, but you have to really search for it. Have you tried those little flat boards made of plastic? One brand is called brando flexible? I have not been brave enough to try this one but it looks interesting for sure...
It's quiet now. Hope it stays that way...
I thought things were pretty quiet lately, but then again I only spend a short time here checking on companies and the job seeker's board.

However, just start talking about the things you want to talk about like what's for dinner or your trip to Costa Rica. I'm sure someone will join in with you.

I think some of them come here to vent, unwind or have been burned by an employer and want to warn others like you said.

But the catty ones, well that's a different story.

BTW, what's for dinner?:)

Bose quiet comfort 2
Pricey but worth it. Blocks out family's TV noise, muffles sound of vacuum cleaner, makes barely audible dictation clearer.