Home     Contact Us    
Main Board Job Seeker's Board Job Wanted Board Resume Bank Company Board Word Help Medquist New MTs Classifieds Offshore Concerns VR/Speech Recognition Tech Help Coding/Medical Billing
Gab Board Politics Comedy Stop Health Issues
ADVERTISEMENT




Serving Over 20,000 US Medical Transcriptionists

Anyone that has recently bought a computer I am about to have one made and I wonder if someone

Posted By: MTPA on 2005-09-27
In Reply to:

could tell me what specifications to be sure to have especially if I decide to work part time for 2 separate companies some of which have a lot of material to load. Anything you can tell me would be nice. I guess Windows XP Prof. etc. I want to be sure I have enough room on it to do 2 separate companies.


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

I bought a laptop with XP recently off of
EBay that was a refurbished one, to be safe I also bought a 2-year warranty just to cover it. Any computer store, Staples, etc. can build you a computer with XP, or check on line with EBay, Google computers with XP, etc. They are still out there, just cannot buy them direct (or hard to find them) through Dell, Gateway, etc.
I recently bought the Etymotic-6 earbuds also . . .
and am very pleased with them.  They are not uncomfortable, but do make my ears itch a little.  I bought them on ebay, much cheaper than web site.
Company I work for was recently bought

The MTs weren't notified about this. I just got my check and noticed it was from a different company, signed by a different person. I looked up the company and saw they were Indian and wasn't sure what was going on but suspected. Then today I saw the post on the company board with the link to the article about the purchase.  I've been with this company quite a while, but now I'm wondering if I shouldn't just put in my notice.  For one, I don't like the way this happens and nothing is communicated to us. Also, it seems to me it's just a matter of time before the US MTs are phased out and replaced by their Indian workforce. And for me, even if that doesn't happen, I don't think I want to work for an Indian company responsible for US MTs losing their jobs. This is just really upsetting.


Susan.....I recently bought a new keyboard,
one of those ones with two separate halves with tenting, supposed to be ergonmic (love it BTW)....the first, I'd say 3 days, I actually thought I'd have to send it back because of a slight difference in key location, kept hitting the wrong keys, etc. However, after that time, I got used to it and no longer was hitting wrong keys.

Also, I'm pretty sure you can get a switch that turns a USB into a round and vice versa. You could try calling a computer/electronic store or googling.
I recently bought word 2003. I don't
remember the site, but you can Google it and it will come up. I bought Microsoft Works with 2003, and I think it was only about $39. Yes, you will need earphones unless you just want to listen to the dictation through the speakers. Some tests you can use a pedal, the others if you don't have the correct pedal you just have to use the "function" keys for play, rewind, etc. You will definitely need reference books or an online reference you can use easily. They are very picky. The higher the quality of the test results you produce, the higher likelihood of being hired. If it is incorrect or sloppy, they will not even look at you for a position.
They bought Dictaphone Corp, and recently Focus. nm
x
here is a copy of a reply I made to someone else recently on the same subject sm

This post is mainly concentrating on ShortHand vs your autocorrect/autotext, but you can do anything in Instant Text that you can do in Shorthand.


The major difference is that Shorthand has unlimited storage for your entries. The last time I looked, I had over 20,000. Autotext will corrupt long before you reach that point.

You can have a suggestion window open while working in Shorthand, so if you can't remember the entire short form, you can enter as much as you know and hopefully you will see the entry in the suggestion window. it will show up to 9 entries at one time.

With Shorthand, you can do complex functions, like tell it to open a browser and go to a particular website, you can have it automatically open up your template and position your cursor exactly where you need to begin typing, you can enter "canned text" complete with Word fields and formatting, you can create pick lists for cases when a doctor always starts with the same sentence but then ends it differently, depending on the situation (the patient/he/she will come back and see me in one week/two weeks/six months for a followup).

There are so many possibilities of what you can do with Shorthand that you can't do with Autotext, and it is much safer and much easier to back up.


The main difference between Shorthand and IT is that with Instant Text you can do "continuations."  After you have IT compile your work to create new glossaries, it "reads" what you're typing and suggests what it thinks you will type next.  It's really cool.  Sometimes you wonder how it knew . . .


I had to restart my computer recently
when the site we use wouldn't work right for me. We use ichart.
I just bought a new computer through Dell and they had a few
new ones without Vista so I got a new one with XP. If you know a computer whiz, they can take Vista off and load XP--I had a friend who said he would do that for me if I couldn't buy one with XP. Just have to call the company, if getting a new one, and ask.
Just bought a new Dell computer, needing XP
and knowing that Dell at 1 time did not offer XP anymore, only Vista. Am wondering if I bought XP how much is that as opposed to what Dell charges to put XP on now.
Did anyone ever have any problems when you bought a new computer with your foot pedal not
working with the DQS program.
I bought a dell computer and financed it at their site

Bought some Dictaphone headgear, need adapter for computer
not realizing on the end it has 2 little points- what I need to know - needing to hook into the front of my computer for editing and does anyone know of an adapter that I could buy that would fit this and where to get? Thanks.
Anyone that bought a Dell computer are you happy with it and what happened if you needed anything

fixed under warranty. I guess you Fed Ex it back and wait on it. Can you tell me how this went please.


Just bought this computer so you never know if it is the ethernet card or mother board or Comcast.
I had this on another computer and it was the modem that time.
Mine is a custom made computer.
x
Update..bought computer today and Dell and found out it couldnt get here as fast as I needed it so I
Got the same computer for like $400 less and they'll ship it out tomorrow. Should be here in 4 days..Same everything including warranty. Try Ebay.!!!
I bought a wedge at Michael's for about 59 cents. Bought one for my SM
Lanier station so I could see the display and one for my keyboard.
i made $15/hr before and didn't stay long because i made so much more on production. sm
that was with full benes too. i wouldn't do it for less than $20, but i think even with $20, i'd want benes. are you in-house?
Is it their computer? Why are they installing a firewall and autocorrect on your computer? That sm
is usually the responsibility of the transcriptionist, especially if an IC or SE.  Which company?
Question about transfering computer into to another computer.. sm

I have a dumb question - Just bought a new computer and someone told me to get a flash drive to transfer all my info.  But I'm assuming that ExText that I work off of and Escription will have to be downloaded again by the tech people onto my new computer.  I can tranfer these can I?


Thanks


How does one find out the computer specs on my computer?

I should know this, but I just don't remember how to do this.  I am hoping I have enough RAM, or whatever, to load work platform on my own computer and begin working on it, rather than paying *rent* on the company-furnished computer.  Thanks so much.


A computer is a computer, whether it be laptop or desktop.
I have both and use both and I bought both of mine...most companies do not provide computers...
I don't know how it made such a small diff in your invoice... made a $100 diff in mine! (sm)

If it were only adding up to three bucks, I wouldn't sweat it. $100? Yeah, that's baseball registration for my son for this year. I am not giving tabs, returns, etc. away free when it adds up to that much difference!  Why should I charge less for a Return than I would for a"K"?


 


 


NO... Just recently.....

my sister came home to a real disaster.  She left for work at the beginning of a thunderstorm and came home to find everything blown out in her house and scorched burnt wallpaper in places on the walls.  Apparently the lightening hit the Invisible Fence wire around the perimeter of her property, traveled into the garage where the power box for the fence was, and breached her circuit box and traveled up into the sockets in the house.  She lost TVs, her computer, all sorts of items which were destroyed.  I'd unplug and wait it out.


i just recently became SE
and all i can tell you is that when i talked with my accountant about what to do with the 401k that i already have, knowing my situation, she gave no indication of there being a problem maintaining this as an SE.
I recently got one because I could not
adjust to the earphones my company sent.  I got mine from the Dictation Store and they were $9, but shipping is about $8.  I just got standard shipping and I think it took 2 days to get it, though I'm on the same coast. 
I had one of those recently.
Foot pedals wouldn't work (I tried several). Keyboard keys (F1, etc.) wouldn't work. I ended up using the mouse on media player to stop, start, and back up the dictations. Obviously it takes much longer to transcribe anything that way because it's a pain in the neck to use the mouse to operate the player, and you're much more prone to make mistakes because of the clumsiness and hassle involved.

The test I took was very easy (radiology). They graded it the same as if I had had full use of a foot pedal and no technical difficulties. There were a few simple errors that were obviously the result of not being able to quickly back up and re-listen to things. They also counted off for minor stylistic "errors" even though they did not make it known anywhere that they required the use of a specific set of style guidelines on the test (presumably the BOS). I now regret taking that test at all under those ridiculous circumstances.

In the end I concluded that they either didn't know how to administer a test or it was all designed to be an ambush to stifle the MTs they had decided they didn't like and weren't about to sign a contract with. Or both. In any case, I would never choose to work with a place that incompetent or that nasty anyway.
I have done several recently and
every single one of them required you to type it into Word 2003 and email it in so that they can read it.

Maybe you were testing with bigger companies than I was, though and they have some other way to test.
Why does it seem that VR/SR has just recently taken off
it just really seems like in the last few months everyone on here has been forced to go VR (I know not ALL of you), but the majority. My work had one account on VR last year and now ALL accounts are within the just the past months. Why all of a sudden are we getting bombarded with it. It doesn't seem to matter what company or what platform, but it is taking us by storm. I happen to like VR myself, but WOW its exploding!! Want your opinion as to why "all of a sudden"?
From what I have seen recently,
they are hiring people with little or no experience and getting rid of the ones who have tons of experience and can learn quickly and can start producing at the get go. They advertise for experienced MTs with acute care experience but they are not keeping them.  They even laugh and joke about it.  
I have investigated recently-
checking up the corporate ladder and with tech people, all of us in MQ get paid for spaces within a section/paragraph, naturally not the blank line between sections/paragraphs. That was one of the motives for insisting we stop double spaces after periods and colons(:). It adds up.
I've seen the same recently...

"work pools were changed recently" was what I was told and now finding myself with the accents....luckily since I work on 85% during my full time job during the day the accents on this part time account are a piece of cake.  I did have a funny experience last night on my last report...


I pulled in an echo that someone apparently abandoned because they couldn't do it.  It was an ESL but not a difficult ESL.....


The doctor dictated....."Normal mitral valve........NO MORE MITRAL VALVE was transcribed....then pericardial effusion.....THE PATIENT WANTS DIVERSION was typed.....  !


 


I was just recently hired by
Transcend and am receiving the equipment today or tomorrow, will train next week. I would not worry about the interview if I were you.  She was very nice and we had a nice talk.  I am leaving MQ.  Welcome.
I checked it out recently (sm)
If I weren't already in my senior year of college and on a different path, I'd definitely check it out. The average income was something like 45K (salary.com).

I'd not worry about competition. MT is considered hard for newbies to break into, but we did that, didn't we? Where there's a will, there's a way.

I'd definitely consider it if I were you. Frankly, getting out of the house sounds really nice to me.
I think there was something recently posted about this
company.
I recently met someone who has a friend who took a
6-week course, is working at home with all the work she can handle.  Of course I don't believe this, but this is what she said.  
I found this recently (sm)
See link
Not unless something has changed recently...
I have worked at a job where I had to use both the Lanier and a Dictaphone.  They are two very separate things.
anyone recently take the cmt exam?
thank you.
Oh, they did for me! I just recently plugged my

instead of my junky speakers, and what a difference!!!  Can't believe I've gone this long thinking that it was DQS that was all the problem with the degradation in sound quality since going from using a C-phone. 


I assume that better speakers would have to make a difference, because mine are super cheap.  But for now I'm just staying with my headphones through the computer speaker plug (and with a Turtle Beach Audio Device as well now). 


Someone asked this recently and several
mentioned the same reasonably priced vacuum (yes, some also loved their Dyson's, but I'm with you on the price). Sorry, I can't remember which one it was (maybe a Eureka something???), but I do remember the same one coming up three or four times in the thread. Search the archives. Good luck to you! (p.s. I'm coming back to search the archives myself when I'm ready to buy again).
this happened to me recently :)
Hold down either the Ctl key or the Alt key and then hit either your right or left arrow depending on which way you want it to move. It only happened to me once, so if that doesn't work, play around with holding Clt+Alt and possibly Shift with the arrow, but that was how I got mine back after my 3 YO granddaughter played with it.

Happy Holiday!

I recently did this and went back to being
IC status. I did not enjoy being an employee, yes the tax thing is a pain in the butt, but being an employee with this particular company was horrible!! I vote for the IC position unless you don't mind being restricted on time off, emergencies etc. Just my opinion though, good luck with your decision.
just recently transitioned myself
from decades of being an 'employee' to a SE. I just wish i would have done it many many years ago. The freedom from time clocks, schedules etc is well worth the bene's i gave up. If one puts it all together (add bene's to gross pay), i don't make as much money, but that's really my fault, because now many days i work 6 or 6-1/2 hr instead of 8. But my quality of life is so much more. You sure want to set aside money for taxes though, and i made a savings acct for just that. Hope you make the right decision for you!!
Recently started using

Meditech for a new hospital account (acute care and rad)  Compared to WP and/or Word,(or even DocQscribe)  it's like pushing a truck up hill with one hand.  Easy to use but very cluncky and requires more Keystrokes for any function than any other platform that I've used.  No doubt it (or you) gets faster with use, but I'm not impressed.


PS It has an awkward spell check - not case sensitive, does not pick up transpositions, takes 3 keystrokes to make a correction instead of 1 as in WP or Word.


At my age plus the fact recently
paid off every debt I have, could get social security - I am glad I do not have to worry about will it be this way or that- much too unnerving for a person supporting family, bills, etc. I work part by my own desires and if that is the way it goes, that is that. I hated the first time I was ever outsourced but after the 2nd time used to it. Times change.
I knew anyone could look at it but I did not know until recently (sm)
that it would come up in search engines. I accidentally found something I posted months ago when doing a search for something else!
I saw saw one recently; I think it was Nicholas
Transcription, but can't remember for sure.
Anyone take the CMT test recently?
I was just thinking about taking it and wondered if anyone had any advise. 
I have been on both sides and recently sm
I had a team and their QA to oversee. The "recruiter" would hire anyone she knew who could type. This was a teaching hospital, very large, very difficult and a challenge to those of us with plenty of experience. I could not fire an MT and if I told the MT manager that this so and so could not do the job, I was told to TEACH HER to do it and in the mean time, fix her reports.

I did have some MTs who wanted to learn, had had a bit of experience, and were anxious to progress. I spent a lot of time on them because they took to suggestions and they worked hard. The ones who not MTs, hadn't studied and were clueless, I had the option of assigning them very little work, which is what I did and I did out of self-preservation. There are only 24 hrs in a day and I was working 20 of them!

I have two jobs right now and QA at one I know very well, having worked with her for years. She only sends back a corrected a report in its entirety. The blanks she filled in are changed to a red font. I can see it, I can learn and I keep every one of her reports in a special folder in my email. I am trying to learn 3 doctors who chased away several other MTs on this account. One has a speech impediment and talks very very fast, one has an accent and talks too fast in the face of it and the third is a speed dictator who doesn't think that words need to be pronounced to be understood. The rest of the physicians don't present a problem. It has been difficult because I have had these 3 doctors about twice each and not enough to tackle the learning curve YET. In any case, this QA is patient and she never ever offers personal comments of a derogatory nature.

The other company I work for, I think that QA is nonexistent, other than when they are throwing their weight around. I had one particular report, an I&D of a sebaceous cyst. The doctor followed with this "cheesy material" which is what I transcribed. They called me on the phone to tell me that the doctor "never would have said that" and I said I'd stake my reputation as an MT that he did! She said, well...you're still wrong. Ummm no, I am not. That is lack of experience, knowledge or even a decent ear. No wonder we are on the verge of losing the account, yet again.

Now, I worked for a company where the QA person treated everyone like they were about 2 yrs old. I had her call me names like $toopid, moronic, an imbecile and whenever she used a word of 3 syllables, told me to look it up since I was not bright enough to understand what she was talking about. The owner, when I complained, said that is just how she is, but that she is so good at what she does... I said look, she represents your company and what you stand for. If this is all you have to offer, I am leaving, and I did.

SOME QA gals seem to have a chip on their shoulders. I am of the opinion that those who can do this job, do it and those who are knowledgeable, but can't do the job, do QA. I know several QA people who have CTS and can't type anymore, so they QA and I think that is a bit different.

It is widely understood that the very best MTs are not QA people, they are still MTs. I could not, would not take a 50% or better pay cut to be a QA person. I am far too fast and too capable for that. Neither company I work for presently would ever put me on QA because I am extremely valuable as an MT. Transcribing is my stock and trade and I can't see giving that up for anyone.

Remember as well, there are reasons that we work at home, and I am talking psychological reasons. I can't stand office politics and I don't like people. I am told I don't play well with others, and this is a correct assessment. Others have their issues too, and some of these issues creep up with QAs who seem to need some therapy and help dealing with people. This seems to attract people with a decided need to be the biggest fish in the smallest pond and throw their fins about to get attention.