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it sounds like your doc is sharp and on to some of the tricks -

Posted By: katy on 2006-07-18
In Reply to: Another update - pediatrician report.... - Teenage mom

My hat is off to you for taking such quick action. You are obviously a very concerned parent. She will thank you for it one day, I am sure of it! Best wishes to you. :-)


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Sharp as a marble. nm
.
"A sharp ear..you either have it or you don't. " Nothing is more true. nm
x
Am not real sharp with templates but here is what I do
I do op notes for my derm doctor and they wanted the letter head on each op note and there are all headings on the note.  I make a file for the op note with the letter head on it (centered) and then all the headings.   I do an "insert" file each time I do a new op note after finishing the old one.   Don't know if this is the same or not.  But I find inserting files easier.  I do this with H&P's, consults, etc.  Then I just go through the headings as he dictates and fills in.  This works well when I am doing a combination of chart notes and consults/H&P's or sometimes letters and then he goes onto op notes.   Do not do an "open" do an insert of the file each time you want to do a new letter or OP note in my case.  Of course I am not completely computer savy and so this might not even be what you are talking about. 
Guess they better keep a sharp eye on Spheris then
I would imagine half the clients Spheris has think they're not being offshored, and Spheris will be happy to put ONE PT American MT on the account so they can technically say - oh sure, your reports are being typed by Americans!  They have never let ethics stand in the way of profit - why start now?
another thought - if you can't see under the water, possibly broken glass, or other sharp objects
which could cut you, and cause infection or tetanus. 
old dog...new tricks...lm

Thanks for the walk down memory lane! I once knew a senior MT who originally worked off of WAX CYLINDERS ("by 1902 the brown wax cylinder was eclipsed by the molded black wax cylinder. A typical recording on a black wax cylinder was about 2 minutes.") At the end of her shift, part of her job was to scrape the cylinders clean for the next day's recording! I started out on noncorrecting IBM Selectrics and reel-to-reel tapes...then correcting Selectrics, but we had to make multiple copies with carbon paper and blue, pink, yellow, goldenrod, and white correction fluids...then the 1-line display Olivetti...then the Wang, Raytheon and Xerox behemoths. Also, I still have my original 1973 Sloane's Medical Word Book  Now I use a highspeed internet home-based LAN with VOIP and a KVM switch...guess the only thing that hasn't evolved is the quality of dictation! Kudos to all of you MTs out there from this 30+ year veteran. We've come a long way baby! 


tricks...
Do you do radiology with a lot of canned reports? I do acute care, have been in this business for 30 years, have 4000 entries in my text expander, and a good day for me is 1300 lines. My fingers never leave the keyboard. I see posts from people like on this board and I wonder what planet you are on.


In the old days when we used DOS, I routinely did 2000 to 2200 lines, but with Windows, I have never been able to get beyond about 1400 lines.
old dog tricks sm
I too am an old dog and got very tired of clients, especially hospitals, sending me their very worst, bottom of the barrel dictators, just because I got every word. They always dumped their pail on me as far as sending me the worst of the worst, the same with a service I worked for. Their excuse was "you're the best and you're the only one who can do them, so that's why we need you." Tired of that old line, but not much you can do other then complain in a nice way that you need a "mix" to keep your sanity. I used to get heartburn and headaches just thinking about how they could be so cruel. We also have a breaking point and a little break in between these guys and girls sure would be appreciated. Know how you feel, it's not fair.
old dog - new tricks
Well it is about time for me to come into the digital world.  I have ordered my foot pedal and going to try and get my accounts digital -- plus am picking up an overflow account that I need it for.  Anyway one major question and bear with this old, old tape user MT.   If they send me a voice file either attached or through an FTP and I download it, can I then also forward it onto one of my subs -- in other words is it like my chart notes files where I have the original and only a copy is sent to my subs or when you attach a picture you still have it on your computer.  My reasoning/question is because if I need to check over a dictation after they have completed it, I will have a copy on my computer.   Or can they go thorugh the FTP site, download the voice file also?   Thanks for all your help.  Like I said -- old dog new tricks. 
Tricks........
The trick is sit down and type. I use ShortHand as an expander. The hospital account that I type for and make 11 cpl requires 1000 lines a day....I do this in about 4 hours, 5 tops. That is roughly 250 lines an hour and in 4 hours I've made 110.00. Then I work on my other account that pays me 10 cpl for about 2 hours which is another 50-60.00. Then I wrap up my day with an hour or so doing clean-up on the account that pays me 9 cpl. There is no magic to it or tricks. I might mention this is all straight typing as none of my accouts have gone to editing, even though one is going to in the next month or so and at that time for the editing part I will receive 4.5 cpl. The money is out there, you just have to work. No one is going to pay you to sit in your seat and surf the net all day. A friend of mine works on the same hospital account that I do and she types 10-12 hours a day and pulls in almost 5000.00 a month. It can be done!
tricks of the trade

I have seen a LOT of posts on here for people asking how to get their lines.  Some are having trouble even hitting lower numbers like 1000-1400.  I have been working for a long time on a little book of tips, "Maximizing Line Counts:  30 Tips in 30 Days."  I started this at the request of my boss who wanted to give it to all existing employees as well as new hires.  I am interested to know if there are any transcriptionists who would like to have something like this.


would love to know the tricks!!
I've been at this for about 6 mos and have finally gotten to a pretty normal 1100-1200 a day linecount... But would love to increase that and the $$!!
Google Tricks

First of all, if you go into advanced search in Google, it gives you tons of "criteria" you can work with.


The asterisk "*" is the wildcard.  If you were looking for a medication that was 20 mg, you could put * 20 mg into Google and it would start listing all meds that were 20 mg.  If you put:  No wheezes, rales, or *, Google would give suggestions on what would fit here. 


If you are looking for an either or, the OR (capitalized) searches for both.  Like "side effects, aspirin OR tylenol"  This entry would bring up both.


If you type in "define:  words" (two spaces after define) it will list all dictionaries the word is in.   Google also has a calculator, does conversions, all kinds of things, just have to look on the Google site.


Hope this helps answer some questions--


Rebekah


Where did you learn all these tricks?
I have the program and have really not got into it too much yet, but the manual leaves a lot to be desired. It is very highly recommended so I intend to keep on trying. I bought it about a year and a half ago, and admit I finally gave up and put it on the back burner, but I really want to learn how to use it. I will add, though, that I have had a lot of trouble learning the tricks with Word, since I am on my own and having to teach myself.
tricks of the trade...
ok...so create autocorrect forced entries for words that often trip you up; if 'does' vs. 'dose' is a common error, create "doz" for dose and "duz" for does (or something that works for you). one of my common errors is 'doe shave' for 'does have'; so I created autocorrect 'doe shave' to be autoreplaced with 'does have'; i also created autocorrect 'dzhv' and retrain myself to use it. make sense? another proofing trick i use is to change the VIEW of a document during proofing; it's *amazing* how formatting and text errors "pop" when i switch from 'normal' to 'print' or 'outline' view...i catch things i would have missed had i not changed the screenshot. you can also use search&replace for common format/text errors; you just have to develop the habit of SAVE, SPELLCHECK, SAVE, CHANGE VIEW, PROOF, SEARCH/REPLACE, SAVE, COUNT, CREATE AUTOTEXT NORMAL (IF DESIRED), SAVE, EXIT, ADD COMMENTS, SIGNOFF...i think you'll see your QA improve =)
My tricks - sorry long post

I'm not an expert but this has worked for me.


Since I am the primary breadwinner of the household, I made the whole family a part of the budget process.  We have two kids left at home (2 grown and gone) and I still manage to pay them their allowance (10.00 per week each). 


How about we start there.   I have a Chore Chart on a dry erase board on the fridge (so they see it every single time they hit the fridge) with the name of the chore written in permanent marker so they can't erase it, then put the initial of the one responsible for that chore that day.   If, at the end of the day, those chores are NOT done?  They get a black X in the box next to the chore.   Only their initials are written in dry erase so I can change that around from time to time.


If they miss doing their chores 2 days out of the week, they get NO allowance.  If they argue or procrastinate, that gets 1 check. If they get 2 checks by the chore, then that is the same as not doing the chore and they don't get the credit for it. Even if they eventually get it done, they still don't get credit that day because they procrastinated OR argued about it.  Pay day is Friday.  


Time is money people and I don't have the time to clean as I should, they are old enough, and they want money too.   I don't give money for movies, candy, or trips to the dollar store.  They now have their own and are learning to budget.


Sometimes I give them bonuses too for doing an inventory of the freezer, pantry, organizing the cupboards, etc... Helps us keep track of the things we have for the next step.


MENUS ~ If you get Woman's Day Magazine or First, or anything like them that have the monthly menu calendars in them?  PAY CLOSE ATTENTION TO THEM.   They can save you BIG $$ on your food bills.


My kids are horribly picky eaters and meal planning has saved me a lot of money.  I now have them sit down with me, look over these meal planning calendars and see if it is something they would like.  If they put it on OUR calendar, they initial it, and we make our grocery list.  If the time comes for a particular meal and they turn their nose up at it, I send them to the calendar to see if they initialed that day.  If they did.... Eat it! PERIOD.  (by the way, I never put anything on the calendar that they don't agree with so, after a few months of doing this, there is never any more turning the nose up at dinner time - HA  fixed their wagon!)


We also do a mass cook and freeze fest now and then.  The kids get into it too.  Very easy for them. THey are 12 and 13 so I have the meal calendar taped to the inside door of the pantry.  When I'm working, they can go look and see what's on the calendar for that day, pull it out of the freezer, and put it in the oven.  I have written the temp and time for each one next to the item on the calendar.  Works out fine.


Power bills... Yikes - LIGHTS OUT.  When I go to bed, every light in the house is OFF except the porch light, the little light above the stove, and the nightlight in the hall across from the kids rooms. 


GAS- Holy Smokes.   Up to 2.79/gal here now.   No extra drives to here and there for anything.  If you just want a cold pop to drink cuz it's hot?  Make iced tea instead.  Not worth that kinda money for a wasted trip to the mini mart.  Just plan better the next time.  The kids want to go to the pool or their friend's house... pump up the bike tire kids and grab the walkies.   I make my kids take walkie talkies (Cobra brand 5-mile radius at WalMart for 80.00 and WELL worth it.)


One last little tidbit....  SAVE your receipts for EVERYTHING for at least 2 months then compare them after the end of that 2 months when you have learned to tighten up the wallet a bit and see the difference for yourself.  Makes it really worth your while.


I have cut enough fat out of excess spending in the past year to put away 400.00 or more every month into a savings account that I can use for emergencies, vacations, whatever.


By the way... Would be a good idea to have a forum JUST for Budgeting and Money Saving ideas here wouldn't it.  Administrators????  How about it?


 


 


 


 


 


 


I can share some Shorthand tricks if you like!

Gladly 


Re: tricks of the trade from longtime mt
Awhile back longtime MT offered to share tips to anyone who e-mailed him/her.  Has anyone heard from him/her on this as I have not.  I've tried a couple times to contact him/her but have not received an answer or the tips, so I was curious if I was the only one who had not.  I really was interested.
Tips/tricks for getting FASTER
Hi all.... wondering if anyone would like to share some "trade secrets" for have better line counts, etc.  I have been a Transcriptionist for 12 years now and know there are ways of being more efficient and being quicker at this that hopefully I could take advantage of.  Thanks!  
Has anyone ever heard from Longtime MT about the tips and tricks.
I haven't heard anything.  Again I'm wondering if this person was just fishing for responses to see how many she'd get as she's never conacted me from the start nor have I seen any tips and tricks for boosting production.  Has anyone else?
Potty Training tricks that worked for me....
I did this will all of my children. I would go to Wal-Mart or the Dollar Store and buy a lot of little cheap toys and trinkets and put them in a pillowcase. Everytime he or she went to the bathroom they could reach in and pick out a prize. They went every time and after less than a week were potty-trained and when the bag was empty that was it. This last year when I trained another one the lady at the check out asked my why I had so many toys and I told her what I was doing and she said "that is an expensive way to do it", but really $15 for a bunch of toys is the same price as a week of diapers and after that week I don't need the diapers anymore. Anyhow, I know it is bribing, but it works and you can't beat that!
FINALLY got it - Guess you can teach an old dog new tricks! THANKS!!

What tricks do I have to perform to get a transcription job at home?
I have applied for so many at home jobs and have done endless testing (some very lengthy) and have not yet received any feedback from any of these companies and then they have more ads out for transcriptionists.  I have 30 years' experience and have taught med term and medical transcription at the local college for 20+ years.  What gives? 
Any tricks on making work more pleasant??

Hey guys:


Does anyone have any ideas or tricks to make work more pleasant??  Been doing this a long (too long) time, and the isolation is getting to me.  Any ideas?


Thanks all.


 


I agree! A "Tips & Tricks" would also be helpful...N.M.
x
Anyone willing to share Emdat Inscribe tips/tricks?

I recently started working on the Emdate Inscribe platform. It is a little more cumbersome to maneuver than what I am used to, and I was wondering if any of you seasoned Emdat MTs might share any tips or tricks you've found to speed yourself up using this system?  I've had a couple "glitches" with the function to look up/paste doctor names, for example, and not being able to close out the "prior transcriptions" box because there's no X! Not too much help from the MT company so thought I'd try here - any tips will be greatly appreciated, or if you know of any websites or other resources.  You can respond here or to my email and thank you in advance!



check out Productivity Talk. Lots of tricks in their SH forum.
x
MS Word 2007 -- I have to switch over to this. Any hints, tips & tricks would be great. Thanks!
I've heard some people are not very happy with it.  Any suggestions on how to get started, and any good tips would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for your help and expertise!
Sounds like you are SM
working for one of the few remaining good companies.  Wouldn't it be wonderful if they all at least made an effort to even out the work?  When you factor in VR and the number of newbees that some companies hire, who just don't have the experience to do the difficult dictators, that makes a sorry life for those who do have the experience and can do it.  Which is why I say if "anyone" isn't happy with what they are doing, then they should look for a company that recognizes their MTs as human beings.  I think part of the problem is that the bigger companies are run by "suits" who don't have a clue about actual medical transcription, all they see is the bottom line and any way to make that bottom liine bigger is fine and dandy with them.  I even heard one of those "suits" say once that it didn't matter if all their MTs quit, they were just typists and the manager could just go out and hire some more.
Sounds like you have too much going on. Take

things in little bits.  (Un)pack/clean for 15 minutes and then work for a bit.   Set a realistic goal to work - say an hour that you can make yourself work, then get up and (un)pack/clean, do laundry, etc. and then come back and work.  If you can afford to work a few less hours do it.  It will give you time to complete the move and give you a break from work.


We are remodeling/redecorating and our house is total chaos.  Some days I can jump right in and get something accomplished and other times I put on blinders and just ignore it all.  Some days I dig right into work and knock out my lines, other days I'm on-line more than working.


Take a break, get refocused, and then try out different routines.  I think we all go through burnout at least once a year and sometimes it takes a bit to get refocused. 


 


Sounds about right
x
Thanks, sounds like just what I need.

It isn't that I can't afford either, just concerned that I don't want a 2 year process, because I need to start living now.


I don't need to know particulars, but just wondered how far back your trauma went?  Mine is pretty much a lifetime of traumatic events, but I think most of my issues date back to when I was 5. 


sounds like
Pfannenstiel scar
now this sounds better..
nm
Sounds like...
We need to take what THEY say with a huge chunk of something, and it sure ain't salt! Talk about "The Stepford Transcriptionists." Sheesh. Thanx for ur input - it was driving me nuts!
sounds like there
may have been a problem with their server.  Try it one more time.  If you get the same error page, click the 'refresh' key at the top of your screen to see if this brings the page up.  If it doesn't, you should call someone.
Sounds like MDI
Who do you work for - -if you don't mind saying.
Sounds like what I'm looking for.....
Thanks so much for the replies!
Sounds like my son. sm

My son had an economics project in junior high school. The class was split into groups. Each group was given $75.00 in cash and told to come up with something to make their money back. If they made any profit, it was theirs to keep and split.


My son went through all of the grocery store flyers until he found cans of Pepsi on sale. Then he called all of the pizza places to see if he could get a buy 1 get 1 free special. They bought a bunch of pizza and a bunch of Pepsi, set up a table at lunchtime,  and sold the pizza for $1.25 a slice and the cans of soda for $1.00 a can. They doubled the money, gave the original $75.00 back and split the rest.


Right now my son works in food services at a nursing home. I'm surprised he doesn't charge the residents for delivering their dinners.


Must be. Sounds just like them
nm
Sounds like PMC to me...
 
Sounds like they set you up to

No one can be 100%... 98.8 should be congratulated (IMO) Drs. make mistakes in dictating even.. they aren't 100%.


This sounds like an ad to me.
nn
Actually, it sounds like the old one is
nm
This sounds about right!
A Japanese company and an American company decided to have a canoe race on the Missouri River. Both teams practiced long and hard to reach their peak performance before the race. On the big day, the Japanese won by a mile. The Americans, very discouraged and depressed, decided to investigate the reason for the crushing defeat.

A management team made up of senior management was formed to investigate and recommend appropriate action. Their conclusion was the Japanese had eight people rowing and one person steering, while the American team had eight people steering and one person rowing.

So American management hired a consulting company and paid them a large amount of money for a second opinion. They advised that too many people were steering the boat, while not enough people were rowing.

To prevent another loss to the Japanese, the rowing team's management structure was totally reorganized to four steering supervisors, three area steering superintendents and one assistant superintendent steering manager.

They also implemented a new performance system that would give the one person rowing the boat greater incentive to work harder. It was called the "Rowing Team Quality First Program", with meetings, dinners and free pens for the rower.

There was discussion of getting new paddles, canoes and other equipment, extra vacation days for practices and bonuses.

The next year the Japanese won by two miles. Humiliated, the American management laid off the rower for poor performance, halted development of a new canoe, sold the paddles and cancelled all capital investments for new equipment.

The money saved was distributed to the Senior Executives as bonuses, and the next year's racing team was outsourced to India.

Sounds like she does not know what she is doing.
Maybe your company does not pay much for QA or have high criteria
It sounds like......sm
It sounds like they are basing this on income only, not income and output (her bills). She should talk with the folks at Social Service as they can probaby negotiate a better deal for her, either there or somewhere else.

Good luck! :)
sounds like....
the other poster's Stedman's and mine conflict a little. Mine is:
Stedman's Orthopaedic & Rehab Words, Third Edition (1999) so her's may be more up-to-date.

So, share with us what you said and what QA said. I'm curious!!!!
Sounds like my ex also.....sm
very abusive...mine wasn't that controlling, but he was disrespectful to me and did lots of things to hurt and humiliate me, to the point of double dating behind my back with his oldest daughter and her boyfriend, and on our anniversary to boot. I am out of that mess, met a much nicer guy who is secure with himself and am happier because of it.
Sounds like you seriously need to consider the
How do I know if I am in an abusive relationship? What are the signs and symptoms of an abusive relationship?

The more of the following questions that you answer Yes to, the more likely you are in an abusive relationship. Examine your answers and seek help if you find that you respond positively to a large number of the questions.

Your inner feelings and dialogue: Fear, self-loathing, numbness, desperation

* Are you fearful of your partner a large percentage of the time?
* Do you avoid certain topics or spend a lot of time figuring out how to talk about certain topics so that you do not arouse your partner’s negative reaction or anger?
* Do you ever feel that you can’t do anything right for your partner?
* Do you ever feel so badly about yourself that you think you deserve to be physically hurt?
* Have you lost the love and respect that you once had for your partner?
* Do you sometimes wonder if you are the one who is crazy, that maybe you are overreacting to your partner’s behaviors?
* Do you sometimes fantasize about ways to kill your partner to get them out of your life?
* Are you afraid that your partner may try to kill you?
* Are you afraid that your partner will try to take your children away from you?
* Do you feel that there is nowhere to turn for help?
* Are you feeling emotionally numb?
* Were you abused as a child, or did you grow up with domestic violence in the household? Does domestic violence seem normal to you?

Your partner’s lack of control over their own behavior

* Does your partner have low self-esteem? Do they appear to feel powerless, ineffective, or inadequate in the world, although they are outwardly successful?
* Does your partner externalize the causes of their own behavior? Do they blame their violence on stress, alcohol, or a “bad day”?
* Is your partner unpredictable?
* Is your partner a pleasant person between bouts of violence?

Your partner’s violent or threatening behavior

* Does your partner have a bad temper?
* Has your partner ever threatened to hurt you or kill you?
* Has your partner ever physically hurt you?
* Has your partner threatened to take your children away from you, especially if you try to leave the relationship?
* Has your partner ever threatened to commit suicide, especially as a way of keeping you from leaving?
* Has your partner ever forced you to have sex when you didn’t want to?
* Has your partner threatened you at work, either in person or on the phone?
* Is your partner cruel to animals?
* Does your partner destroy your belongings or household objects?

Your partner’s controlling behavior

* Does your partner try to keep you from seeing your friends or family?
* Are you embarrassed to invite friends or family over to your house because of your partner’s behavior?
* Has your partner limited your access to money, the telephone, or the car?
* Does your partner try to stop you from going where you want to go outside of the house, or from doing what you want to do?
* Is your partner jealous and possessive, asking where you are going and where you have been, as if checking up on you? Do they accuse you of having an affair?

Your partner’s diminishment of you

* Does your partner verbally abuse you?
* Does your partner humiliate or criticize you in front of others?
* Does your partner often ignore you or put down your opinions or contributions?
* Does your partner always insist that they are right, even when they are clearly wrong?
* Does your partner blame you for their own violent behavior, saying that your behavior or attitudes cause them to be violent?
* Is your partner often outwardly angry with you?
* Does your partner objectify and disrespect those of your gender? Does your partner see you as property or a sex object, rather than as a person?

This sounds like a little boy to me *S*....not fun (sm)

Sounds like my dad, X, and I would not put up with that s**t for long.  Blessings to you.