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A good expander pays for itself in no time at all.

Posted By: sm on 2008-11-05
In Reply to: Yes, they are the same thing - but cost too much

Word files corrupt too easily so be sure to keep a backup for when you've lost all your shortcuts.

Also remember that you can only use autotext in Word and you're working "harder not smarter." JMHO.


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No I did not sit here all day and wait for you. I have a good job that pays me a good wage for an e
I am sure MQ will change their policies now because of the actions you took. Congrats.
2 part time (totaling 40+/-) 1 pays weekly/1 biweekly.

Weekly for food.  Biweekly for bills.


 


What service pays sick time, not working, vacations, etc.?
Where? I have never gotten paid for any of these, especially sudden illnesses, or I would be rich!
What happent to the MTSO that pays what a good MT is worth.
I'm tired of the MTSO that promises great pay, nice dictators, affordable insurance, etc. 90% is all bull. On what planet is 8cpl or less great pay. You either have WAY more ESLs that you admit to or you have EFLs that talk out their rears. Be honest with your ads!
Yes, your auto correct!!! I use it ALL the time! No need for expander here!

Once you hear something for the 3rd time, into the expander it goes - words,
s
No, MSW AC is not as good as expander (sm)

One major reason being that it ^*^will^*^ crash on you at some point if you have over 2000 entries.


If you liked PRD+, then you should buy Instant Text because you can import your old PRD glossary directly.  A lot of people don't like the way IT works because if you use it with the marker method recommended in the manual, it will take forever to get used to and get your line counts up.  Just use it in the "classic expander" emulation mode, and you'll lose no time at all.


Why do I like IT?  A couple of reasons:  1) It works with pretty much EVERY transcription platform currently used, even weird ones like the wonderful company I work for uses, so I never have to worry about redoing my abbreviations if I should change companies.  2) It will compile glossaries for you.  3) It's really easy to add new abbvs on the fly.  4) You can edit the glossary using Wordpad, so if you get a new account that does headers in a different way, you can use global search and replace to fix the format without having to go in and change every entry.


Feel free to email with questions.  Yes, IT is a bit of an investment, but I'd be surprised if you didn't earn it back in less then 2 weeks.


Need a good expander.
Any suggestions compatible with Word.
Good. I Don't Like the Expander, though

Their Expander (ESP) is kind of like AutoCorrect but worse.  Your shorts will not expand with punctuation, only a space.  But, I use Instant Text so it's not a huge problem.


Other than that, piece of cake platform!


anyone know of a good expander...
that will work with Emdat InScribe.  I currently own SmartType which works wtih nothing else.  I just got a new IC job that uses this platform and I really really like the work, just not the platform.  Any suggestsions would be great.  Thank you.
do you have a good expander? nm
nm
Good for you! May I ask what kind of expander you went with?
x
Does I-chart have a good expander?
Anyone familiar with Dictaphone I-chart.  I'm thinking of working for a company that uses this.  Is it good for productivity.  I have Word 2000.  Is it compatible?  Thanks in advance!
What good expander do you suggest and
do you have to remember what you want to call up or how does 1 work? I know in ShortHand I put in Tp and it comes up the patient. Does an Expander work identical to that?
Need help finding a good expander program
I work on DocQscribe and I use Instant Text.  Does anybody out there work on a different shorthand program that is compatible with DocQscribe?  Instant Text is okay but I am wondering if there is another program I would like more.
new at this... how do I choose a good expander program?
Which is best Expander program?  anyway to get a free trial to check out how these things work?
Get a good word expander for starts - sm
I started with ShortHand but then bought Stedmans Smartype which I love; and also a good spellchecker (again I use Stedmans). I don't know how I did it before w/o these. It is like night and day. They help out tremendously do save lots of time. So if you don't already have either of these, I'd highly advise getting them; very necessary to help speed up production, etc.
Good word expander reasonably priced??
I would like to purchase a good word Expander that is reasonably priced, but I can't afford to pay $100 - $200.  Does anyone know of one that is good, but is lower priced?
VR pays half of what typing pays...
If you would read her post more closely she said she does VR, which pays half of what straight typing does.  I do VR and have made 4 cpl, so 5 is actually good and 4-5 is an industry standard, and may be even less if you are an employee.  The problem is that you have to double your line counts in order to make decent money, which is not always easy.  I embrace VR because I like it better than straight typing, but it is not productive for everyone, no matter how hard you try.
Looking for a good word expander to go along with MSWord. Does anyone have any suggestions??

Hi all!!!  I am currently using MSWord and would like to purchase a word expander.  I have done some research, but am still not certain which one to buy.  I wish not purchase one that will drain my bank account, but do want one with the capability to have the ability to add an indefinite amount of shortcuts, etc.  Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.  Thanks!!!!


Especially for Iowa, that is pretty good. UI can get good over time, but that's because of the u

It is only easy if everything falls into place, i.e. good docs, repetition, macros/expander -sm
This is not the norm. I average 130-175 lph, so it would take me a bit longer than 3 hours to make $100 (I am only PT now so I don't make much more than $50 a day) , and as she would be starting out fresh at a new job, probably with a national doing nothing but ESL the odds are she won't be making $100 in 3 hours.
I'm going to type an acct at home for local group. What is a good word expander for

things to know on doing tapes from an office?  Is it best just to give them a disk and let them print it out at the office like they want to? 


Anybody doing an acct like this?  Thanks.


I do believe she is good enough, and has more than proved that time and time again. NM
z
That is a good time, probably take me 10-12 or - sm
maybe longer. Granted if they are easy I can easily do 15 minutes in one hour (or more, 24 minutes is the most I have done in 1 hour), but when you get tired, bored, etc, it seems to take a lot longer. I'd say you are right on target.
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.
Ooh, that sounds good. What time should I be there?
We're probably having leftovers.  Tacos, sloppy joes, potato ham soup, and kielbasa.
Glad you had a good time
Glad you thought the suggestions were helpful. :) I know some people probably think we are crazy but unless you are an avid camper you might not realize how much time can be spent just getting ready! Every little time saver you can find makes the trip all the more pleasurable when you don't end up exhausted just getting ready to go. :D
LOL, 4th time huh. Well, uh, good luck with that huh!!!! LOL. nm
.
I use this one all the time, good for all states.
http://www.greatdictator.com/cgi-bin/lookupmd.pl?first=&name=&state=
This is a good time of year to buy.
There are usually good sales in the week before Christmas when retailers are hoping to improve their bottom line. Also, if you wait until January, you may find good bargains from those trying to move stock during a slow time. Personally, I like my Dell. I've had three of them now and really have not had any problems. You can now get them at Staples, too.
The religion issue came at a good time. sm
My daughter is 10.

 

We're in the car and she wanted to call her friend Jessica on the cell phone.  She said, "It's after 2:00, so they're already home from church."

 

Then she says, "You know, mama, I don't mind going to church with them, but I hate going up and eating that yucky bread."

 

I said, "They had you go up for communion?"  and she said, "I think that's what it is.  The guy in the robes puts a yucky cracker thingy in your mouth, but they call it bread for some reason."

 

So I said, "You don't have to go up and take communion, you're not Catholic.  I could talk to Jessica's parents and tell them that you aren't a Catholic and you shouldn't go up and take communion." 

 

She said, She said, "Well, I'd feel stupid just sitting there when everyone else went up.   I'm not going to go someplace bad if I do the Catholic thing and I'm not really a Catholic am I?"

 

I said, "Of course not.  You just don't have to that's all."

 

She said, "It's okay, I don't really mind it that much."  After a few minutes she said:  "Hey wait a minute, we're not JEWISH ARE WE?!!!"

 

Another half hour on the different faiths and beliefs and the fact that it doesn't matter what you choose, but that it is a private, personal choice, and that one should never try to convince another person that their way of thinking is the "right" way. 

 

She thought it wasn't a good thing not to have a Christmas tree, but then thought that Hannukah was "really cool" because the kids didn't have to wait to open a present.  Then she said, "Well, we could light a candle every night for the Jewish kids because they don't have a Christmas tree and then maybe we could just open a present."

 

I said, "Nice try kiddo." 

 

Out of the mouths of babes! 

 

 

Whatever, then may you all have a good time in your pool of name calling. (nm)
x
This was good. There is no time for tears, arguments when you are
I'd throw him out, change the locks, he'll figure out what to do.

Don't look back.
Glad to hear you all had a good time. :)
nm
Hey! I'm having a good time. Jade East
men's cologne?  Anyone remember that?  I remember buying my first boyfriend some for Christmas (1966).  The bottle was a special edition, shaped like a pagoda!
THANK YOU! That is my point. She still pays taxes, her DH still pays taxes...

so who exactly is getting cheated?  And just who are you talking about when you talk about whether it is "fair" or not.  I don't give a crap how much taxes my neighbor pays.  It's none of my business.  And if I found out they were paying less in taxes than me, I would ask them how they heck are they doing it so I can do it too!


I just want ask, is it necessary to get personal and insult?  You disagree with me, fine.  But I've been called a liar, a cheat, a no-ingetrity thief, my intelligence has been insulted, and I have had my parenting skills questioned.  That is a little over the top.  If you cannot debate an issue without resulting to personal attacks, then YOU are the stunted one!


It is a very good thing that some of you work at home, ALONE!  You are sorely lacking in people skills and diplomacy.  Let me guess, when you worked in the office you were one of those girls who didn't like to share her desk, griped if someone dropped a crumb on your desk, and kept track of everyone's breaks, lunches, and line counts just so you could tattle to the supervisor!  I've worked women like you, it was like working with kindergarteners.  That's why I came home to work.  Do us all a favor, looking in the mirror, count your wrinkles, and realize that this isn't high school anymore!


Very good ideas! Thanks for taking the time to share.

Thank you for taking the time to post this good advice. NM
nm
Oh, goodness! Soak him in the tub for a good long time.
Try a little dish soap on it.  I wouldn't advise any harsh chemicals because you don't want to risk a rash or anything.  Tomorrow's picture day here, too.  My kid decided to rub his blue ink hand stamp on the center of his forehead instead of leaving it on his hand.  The teacher stamps their hands with an ink picture stamp every day if they're good.  A sticker would be better because my son always has ink on his hands and face now.  Lots of soap, then maybe cover it with makeup?  Oh, goodness.  My cheeks hurt from laughing at this one.
Oh, goodness! Soak him in the tub for a good long time.
Try a little dish soap on it. I wouldn't advise any harsh chemicals because you don't want to risk a rash or anything. Tomorrow's picture day here, too. My kid decided to rub his blue ink hand stamp on the center of his forehead instead of leaving it on his hand. The teacher stamps their hands with an ink picture stamp every day if they're good. A sticker would be better because my son always has ink on his hands and face now. Lots of soap, then maybe cover it with makeup? Oh, goodness. My cheeks hurt from laughing at this one.
Glad you had a good time. We just hung around the house.

You people are having a real good time condemning me....

Don't you know that you can DEACTIVATE your current OS when you upgrade to the next level?  Obviously not. But then, most people here don't seem to be all that computer literate. I asked a couple of computer questions below which got absolutely NO answer.


Don't go jumping to conclusions that someone is a "scammer" and "ruining it for everyone else" until you do your homework.


Good things take time. (this is addressed to OP, BTW) My first 15 years or sm
so of MT was without the benefit of using an expander. When Expanders became the norm, I was reluctant to try, thinking that it would be more cumbersome than by not using it at all. Was I surprised and pleased I had ventured into the Expander world.

Since you're at home you can add entries on your free time, even if you do 5 or 10 at a time, when there is no pressure on you. Start out with expanders for "the patient," "-year-old," the names of your doctors, anything that is repetitious. You will be surprised how much time this will save you. My initial expander, PRD, actually calculated saved Keystrokes and productivity. Back then I was saving 30%!

The expander is especially helpful for those crazy terms that are hyphenated or have camel caps, those that I always had to look up to check myself. Create your brief form by just using straight lowercase, for instance, duoneb for Duo-Neb (or d-n).

Speed will come, don't worry. Good luck to you!

(Posted in the wrong place--I always do that!) This is in response to OP.


I'm having a hart time lately staying motivated and getting a good count,
x
I work for a national. Most of the time the voices are pretty good, but

I have been getting some of late that have background noices, door slamming, people talking,  Sometimes the doc will stop talking but the noices sound so close to him that it is annoying.  Do you think the sound card would interfere with my company's computer?  It sounds nice to have even though it does not help the background stuff.   I guess that is a good question for tech.  Thanks again! 


Any suggestions for a good MT for part time other than MQ as far as a nice company to work for. I
think it is time for a change about now.
Fill in the blank time! Today I feel ______ (for me it's good)...sm
Good work day so far, kids will be home from school in a couple of hours and the weather is nice outside. 
Agree! I hate Daylight Savings Time. It takes me a good two weeks
to get myself and everybody in the household adjusted to the time change every six months. If the farmers need to get up earlier, let 'em! That doesn't mean I should have to, also! DST has definitely outlived its usefulness. I stay up later and get up earlier in the summer, but go to bed earlier and sleep later in the winter. It's like my mind and body are tied to the sun, not the clock. I never got an extra hour of sleep last night anyways because the neighbor's stupid dog barked from 2:00 a.m. to 3:00 a.m.
I spend a good deal of time tweaking the ones in there so ummm, may give it a shot lol
dd