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Increased speed with Expander

Posted By: Abby on 2009-01-13
In Reply to:

How much faster would you say an Expander can make you when transcribing?


Abby




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Who wants playback speed increased on DocQScribe?

Sorry to repeat this post, but was hoping for a better response, so have moved it to the top again.


Over the past months I have been trying to convince superiors at MQ of the need to have the playback speed increased even more than we are able to at the present.  I proofread all reports and when you have a slow dictator, it can take forever.  If you agree, please make a post and maybe that will convince them to do something about it.


Nothing has increased for me except gas and
it isn't $3 a gallon. 21 cents a gallon makes a difference over the long haul. Oh, but I guess you don't worry about things like that with your ridiculous bills and horrible increases!

Go ahead and continue paying your bills, dear. Or at least try. I for one have mine well under control with a 4-digit deposit in savings every month.

:) Enjoy your high cost of living wherever you are!
increase speed 3, decrease speed 2...sm
increase backspace 9, decrease backspace 8. At least that's what mine does.
Has anyone increased their production with

My lines have increased by 1,000 per mo. and it's
just September. I'm feeling fairly confident about this fall/winter.
increased work
Mine is just the opposite, I have 2 accounts and they both increased
Increased production

Do you suppose increased production basically just come from utilizing the Magic Keys over and over until they become habit.  If any one has a link to an article or any information, please share.  I feel like I just landed on the moon with VR and no interpreter.


 


Central FL hasn't increased at all yet. nm
c
I increased RAM - made all the difference

My computer was freezing up all the time, and now it zips along and doesn't get stuck at all. Everything is much faster.


If you know someone who can install it, you could save a few bucks. But I don't think it saves you that much.


RAM will also help you with all the technology upgrades going on, even just for using the Web. It's a good investment if you have a good computer to begin with.


Well...let's see. In 4 years rent in our area has increased at least $500/mo.
Health insurance has gone up.  Cost of prescription drugs has increased.   Food has increased.  Gasoline prices are now over $3 a gallon ($2.69 a gallon BEFORE the storm).  Now they're saying that we can expect a 20% increase in our electric bills and up to 71% increase in our heating/fuel bills.  All these increases and I've had a 40% CUT in pay.   You can believe any paper, magazine, TV news show, or politician you want to believe.  I believe my paycheck and my bills. 
But isn't the increased incentive JUST on whatever is over 300 lines? Not applied to the first 3
;P
So MQ explains how they arrived at the increased production percentage for ASR.
It appears to be a good study with what was excluded.  However, don't tell me about the opportunity for increased financial gain with this so called wonderful increased production of 30% when you decrease my pay by 20%.  The only financial gain I can see in all this is in the profit margin for the company. 
have you noticed increased line count and less hand stress

Teen son is on this and has an increased appetite, so he's putting on the pounds while his outloo
s
Not a word help question: Would menstrual blood mixed with urine cause increased microalbumin? (pl
My 21-YO daughter has type 2 DM, but it is very well controlled by diet alone.  She just had some lab tests done (blood and urine), and they called to let us know her urine microalbumin was slightly elevated.  However, she was on her period when they did the urine test, and she said there was definitely blood mixed in with her urine because of this.  Does anyone know if this would affect the microalbumin result?  They want her to start taking a small dose of lisinopril, but she doesn't want to and wants to wait 6 months for the next test.  Her hemoglobin A1c and other values were "perfect" according to the nurse who called, but we are waiting for the actual results to come via mail. 
C-phone speed help! PLEASE! Speed key!
I am in tears - typing speedy gonzalez - a total knee replacement, not a standard, dictated in under 1 minute - FULL REPORT!  Can you imagine? I have a C-phone that is just hanging in there, but lost all its programming.  Isn't there a # key on the number part of the phone that reduces speed?  I need it way slooooooooooow!! I'm afraid to just start hitting numbers, though, cause I've lost reports that way!! Anybody have a # to hit for me???
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.
Between cruise lines dumping, increased boat traffic dumping, and runoff from

the water supply --- that's my personal opinion on why there is such a growing red tide.


They try to say it's just an algae bloom, but the toxin that makes up what is known as red tide is actually lots and lots of different toxins generically called "red tide."


The "red tide" in Massachusets for example is not the "red tide" that affects the southern coastal states and shellfish.


We sit here and watch


cruise ships go by,


barge traffic,


luxury yachts,


many more people living on sail boats,


house boats (there is no more property to buy at a reasonable price so they are living on boats and probably dumping effluent in the water). 


"Red tide" comes not only from marine water, it comes from resevoirs, your reclaimed water you spray your lawns with, you get it off the grass or bushes as you pass them, it is aerosolized as you water your lawn or go by an area where lawns are being watered.  There is a plethora of ways we are getting "red tide"


But nobody talks about how we are getting it. 


Look out there people, it is a toxic dump along the coast lines.  I stand on the pier and see household trash floating by all day long.  Plastic Wal-Mart bags and floating juice bottles, Frito Lay potato chip bags --- and you know some boater has thrown the trash overboard on the way to the dock. 


We have people living on boats all over the place in the bayous.  ICK.  You know what's happening there.


The beautiful lawns 100 yards from where people are swimming and oh my gosh catching fish and getting mollusk clams and taking them home and eating them --- the chemicals in the run-off from manicured lawns and the animal excrement where hundreds of people walk their dogs is just right there! right there in the water those people are going to swim in, put their babies in, eat the shellfish out of.  But nobody is warning them.  TheY think it's OCEAN WATER AND IT'S SO HEALTHY.  It is not healthy.


Yesterday as I was saying the red tide was so awful at the beach-----------An interesting observation: 


NO BIRDS!  There was not a sand piper, sea gull, or pelican in sight.  NOT ONE.



Word Expander Programs - Are there any expander programs that are easy to use and learn
that are similar to the MS Word expander?  I prefer something very simple.  I like MS Word expander; however I have gone over my limits and cannot add any more shortcuts so I need a program that will hold a larger amount of shortcuts.   Many thanks.
Speed when it comes to DSL

I would love to cut my bills, with my DSL carrier have to have land phone in order to have internet. I do both VR and straight typing, mostly VR. Has anyone had any issues with similar, using the fastest DSL (which costs more) and then going to the lower rate (which costs less). I might be interested if I can find is there really that much difference in your speed?


Probably will! Maybe we could speed it along - sm
by sending the link to our local TV stations!
speed
your processor is what adds speed or diminishes speed. being as that your computer is 4-5 years old, your processor probably just cannot keep up with the expectations you have of it. With increased files and using an online platform, you probably need an updated processor. Also depends on how much you have *open* at the time of working on the online platform.
Speed

Definitely have to have a split keyboard.  My wpm went up considerably with the split keyboard plus your hands don't get as tired because it is in a more natural position. 


Speed

I have found that timing myself with a stopwatch makes me get more done.  Otherwise, I take my time and then I do less work.  I make a limit for each transcription, and then I try to beat that time. 


Abby


Speed
what speed do you all keep your dictations on? normal or chipmunk style?
I did this, what did it say your speed was?
It said mine averaged 180.
speed it up
I am in the same situation. My computer is fine, just slow, and I don't want to buy a new one, especially not with Vista. I bought 1GB of RAM from an ebay seller (new) for $35, watched a YouTube video on how to install it (super quick and easy), and now it is running a lot faster. I also ran a Scan Disk and Defragmenter to clean it up. I had hundreds of thousands temporary internet files that got cleared out.
MT'ing isn't all about speed, although...

of course it helps to type fairly fast.  However, there is sooooo much more to it than just typing speed.


That being said, my own speed without using any text expansions isn't nearly as great as some mention here.  I tested using expansions recently and hit well over 200 wpm.  Thankfully, I am able to use a text Expander while working . . . otherwise I might starve to death. 


how to test for speed ?
is there an online test we can take? I'd love to take one nowadays ... it's been a while since I have !

JoJo
How long does it take to get up to speed at a new job?
Also, which is better, acute or clinic?  I can't seem to get my production up to where it used to be.  The reports are super short, about a minute or less.  The header info is a tedious process of checking this, checking that, verifying everything.  I don't know if this is going to work out, but I can't afford to be changing jobs again this close to Christmas.  The work itself is super easy.
Had a speed-demon doc whose
nurse, whom I could hear in the background, asked him, "Geez, how can they understand you when you talk so fast?", and he replied, "Oh that's they way they like it!"  Wonder where he got that idea?  At least he talked to her so she could understand him...LOL.
speed typing
Okay, ladies.  I have been working for 8 months now as an MT and my typing accuracy still is lacking quite a bit.  I have the typer shark program that I use sometimes.  I type about 50 WPM.  Not good enough for me.  I was hoping that somebody could give me suggestions or hope that it will come with time.  I seem to be a little bit better lately, but I keep hearing about MTs who type 300+ lines per hour.  It takes me a couple hours or more to do that.  Depending on the dictator, of course.  One woman said she used to type the news and that seemed to help her.  I just need some encouragement that I will get better, or maybe some people don't. 
speed typing
I also use IT, as it is through the company I work for. I am still getting to know the program. I tried Mavis. I found her to be cute, but annoying. I think am just being impatient. I really like the typer shark program. It's actually fun. I think I will take the time to work on understanding IT, so I can get it to work for me.

Thanks your input. It did make me feel hopeful!
speed typing
Will do! Thank you for the encouragement.
Speed was an issue for me....
Hi, Sandi - If you've been working with a dial-up at home and haven't had a problem, I'll bet you won't have one with the PC card. My problem is that I am spoiled - in my home office I have the fastest DSL we can get in our area - 7 mbps. So, when I use my laptop remotely, the Verizon service almost seems like dial-up to me. Just to give you an idea, the last time I used it remotely, I downloaded 20 discharge summary dictations, most of them around 5 minutes long, and it took about 45 minutes for all of the audio to download. Of course, I was camping in an area where the cell phone signal wasn't that great, so that might have been a factor.

If I were you, I'd try out your card for a few days before you dump your other service, just to compare.... It's all what you are used to, I guess....
playback speed
Thank you, I will check on this. You all have been so helpful. Thank you very much!
Can you get high speed?
That's VERY expensive for dial up.  Most high speed services cost about that.
VR - speed and training

Honestly, how fast will VR type the dictation. I read somewhere about 160?  Is that all?  I don't understand how a Transcriptionist can train the program when it is the doctor that is dictating.  Can someone explain.  I am trying to figure out if this is something I want - whether it be to save my wrists for the future/ or if it will type the work faster than I do.  I am generally about 200 now, depending on the work, sometimes better, sometimes worse. TIA.


My speed is really high but this job is not what
it was years ago. With being an engineer, it would seem that the money should really be good there. I have done this now for over 30 years and if I had to do now and raise a family, I would have to work more than 1 job, possibly 3-4. It is really not the money maker it was once, not at all. The work is not easy, not just a typist job, in fact after all these years I still am always trying to make sure my QA is not lacking, otherwise your job is lacking as in gone. My speed is around 140 wpm but the speed is not what is really important. I found it extremely difficult starting out and trained for over a year inhouse before I ever earned production. This would not be a job I would recommend now unless you just want to stay at home with a child, do part time, retired, in other words where you want to put in time and really don't need to make a living doing it.
Speed Type
Has a utility available that will convert your present files to ST for a $15 fee .. well worth it from my little chair!! Also, Betsy works with people to make sure they are on the right track with ST and has a toll free number and she is the help desk and not overseas, which should indicate that she does not have heavy volume of technical calls. It is a great program.
I did downgrade from 5.0 speed sm

to 1.5 speed and I notice no difference. I have done both VR and straight typing on Extext and notice really no difference. Saved me a bundle of money. Sprint DSL.


With your experience and speed.....
I don't know why others are telling you to try production-based before going home. With a typing speed of what you say you can do, you would well exceed 18.00 an hour. I don't think my typing speed is much over 100-110, but I average 25.00-28.00 an hour. Good luck in whatever you decide.
Exactly what I was talking about, if not for speed
and I mean my typing, nothing else, I would not be able to make what I want to make. I have to absolutely without any doubt keep all my attention on my work for the straight full 8 hours, no breaks, no lunch, dinner, hardly bathroom breaks until I finish. I could have break and/or food but then would just have to work later on in the evening. If not for the fast speed and having my dictation set as fast as it will go and my keeping up with most times, I could not stay in this business. Like I said, in 80s almost 60thous, in the 90s 40thous and now in the 20thous. Next 10 years I will be paying to work for them, I guess!!!
I speed them up every chance I get!

What is your typing speed? - sm
Though most of being a great MT involves excellent listening skills, to make the most of production, IMHO, you have type like the wind and use macros, including macro sentences rather than words only.  Just a thought - when was the last time you took a typing test?  I think there is a free Web based typing test...
Doubling Speed

I am pretty new at transcription and only typing approximately 100 lph.  Any good tips on ways to help me double this?  - I do use word Expanders (constantly making new and revamping as see fit).


I suppose practice, practice, practice is the main way; but I am guessing many of you who are experienced have discovered some helpful things along the way.


Really need to pay my bills, so I am willing to give any ideas a shot!


Thanks,


Kristy


doubling speed
One neat trick a fellow MT said was to push the dictator speed up just as fast as you can to still understand them. It really makes you perk up and pay attention, and keeps it going. Slowing down to understand them clearly seems to d-r-a-g you down. Hope it helps. :^)
I wish you could control the speed with
a keystroke. That would make it much more efficient IMO, instead of having to use the mouse.

Be sure you go into the spell-check settings and allow it to spell check capitals, especially if your account has you put allergies in caps (but even headings benefit from spell-checking).

Unfortunately it will then spell check patient names. Wish they could tell it not to spell-check the demographics.

Other than these quirks I think ExText works pretty well.
Maybe just me, but your speed is slow
at 70 wpm. I have been tested at 130-140 and getting the lines just not an effort- I think it has everything to do with the 70 wpm. You really need to build your Expanders and abbreviation list- that would help you tremendously.
I do VR, have my speed as fast as I can get and
I only average about 357 lph. There is no way I could get 1000 - my speed would not even go that fast.